


The De-Aged Doctor and the Mark of Athena

by Whovian101



Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Heroes of Olympus [3]
Category: Doctor Who, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 58,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovian101/pseuds/Whovian101
Summary: The Doctor reunites with Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, and Annabeth Chase, whilst they alongside Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang make their way on the Argo II to Rome.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean
Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Heroes of Olympus [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717288
Comments: 56
Kudos: 27





	1. A Tense Reunion

The Greek warship never actually landed.

The Doctor watched from the ground as the ship came to a stop in midair, hovering over the city.

A rope ladder dropped off the side of the ship and down came four half-bloods.

The crowd parted for these new half-bloods, Annabeth at the front, as they walked through the forum. No one was armed. No one attacked. So far, so good.

It was then that Annabeth spotted Percy. She froze, stunned.

Reyna straightened, and with apparent reluctance, she turned towards Jason.

“Jason Grace, my former colleague…I welcome you home. And these, your friends –”

It was then that Annabeth surged forth. Percy ran to her at the same time. The coed tensed. Some reached for swords that weren’t there.

Percy threw his arms around her and the two kissed. 

Percy pulled away, studying her face. “Oh, gods, I never thought –”

Annabeth grabbed his wrist, flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out, some surged forth, but Reyna shouted, “Hold! Stand down!”

Annabeth put her knee on Percy’s chest, pushing her forearm against his throat. 

“If you  _ ever  _ leave me again,” She said, “I swear to all the gods –”

Percy laughed. “Consider me warned,” He said. “I missed you, too.”

Annabeth rose and helped the boy to his feet.

_ “Doctor?”  _ Leo was staring at the Time Lord.

“Hi.” He said awkwardly.

Unlike Annabeth, Leo looked genuinely angry.

Jason cleared his throat. “So, yeah…It’s good to be back.”

He proceeded to introduce Reyna to Piper, then Leo. “And this is Annabeth,” Jason said. “Uh, normally she doesn’t judo-flip people.”

Reyna’s eyes sparkled. “You sure you’re not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?”

Annabeth smiled, holding out her hand. “I only attack my boyfriend like that,” she promised. “Pleased to meet you.”

Reyna clasped her hands firmly. “It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!”

Hazel and Frank hustled forth to stand beside Percy and the Doctor. The Doctor glanced over at Hazel. She was staring at Leo.

“…Tell the legion to stand down.” Reyna was ordering, “Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian –”

“You’re letting these intruders into the  _ camp?”  _ Octavian elbowed his way forth. “Reyna, the security risks –”

“We’re not taking them to the camp, Octavian.” Reyna flashed him a stern look. “We’ll eat here, in the forum.”

“Oh,  _ much  _ better.” Octavian grumbled. “You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship.”

“These are our guests.” Reyna clipped off every word. “We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely.”

“Good idea,” Percy put in. “Go burn your bears, Octavian.”

Reyna fought back a smile. “You have my orders. Go.”

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of complete and total loathing. Then he gave the Greeks a suspicious once-over and stalked away.

“Don’t worry about Octavian,” Percy told Annabeth, slipping his hand into hers. “Most of the Romans are good people – like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We’ll be fine.”

“We’ll be fine.” Annabeth repeated, looking nervous.

“Excellent,” Reyna said. “Let’s talk, and we can have a proper reunion.”

The Doctor glanced at Leo, Jason, and Piper.

Jason was focused on Reyna and the camp, and Piper was staring around in awe, but Leo had his eyes fixed on the Doctor. He wished they were filled with anger. But instead, Leo’s eyes burnt with betrayal.


	2. The Road So Far

The Doctor sat at a table with Reyna, a few Roman officers, Octavian, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel. 

Percy scooted up close to Annabeth and the Doctor could hear him whisper; “I want to show you around New Rome. Just you and me. This place is incredible.”

Annabeth smiled, but it looked a bit forced. “Okay. Sure.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Percy went on nervously. “I had this idea –”

Reyna cut him off by calling a toast to friendship.

After introductions all around, they all began to exchange stories. Jason explained how he’d arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he, the Doctor, Piper, and Leo had gone off to rescue Hera from the Wolf House.

“Impossible!” Octavian broke in. “That’s our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there –”

“They would’ve destroyed her,” Piper said. “And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish.”

Octavian opened his mouth, but no words came out. Reyna was looking back and forth at Piper and Jason, just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple.

“So,” Jason continued, “That’s how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She’s still half asleep, but she’s the one freeing monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands – Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by…what did he call it?”

“Pulling up their roots.” The Doctor finished for him. “Gaea’s attacked Rome as well.”

Percy nodded, proceeding to explain how he’d woken up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one name –  _ Annabeth. _ How he’d stumbled into the Doctor on the hill, just as lost and confused as he was. How he’d traveled to Alaska with the Doctor, Frank, and Hazel. How they’d defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giants’ army.

After Percy mentioned that once again, the Doctor had been missing memories, the betrayal in his eyes softened, but did not diminish.

Once Percy finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. “No wonder they made you praetor.”

Octavian snorted. “Which means we now have  _ three  _ praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!”

“On the bright side,” Percy said, “Both Jason  _ and  _ I outrank you, Octavian. So we can  _ both  _ tell you to shut up.”

Octavian turned purple as Jason gave Percy a fist bump. Even Reyna managed a smile.

“We’ll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later,” She said. “RIght now we have more serious issues to deal with.”

“I’ll step aside for Jason,” Percy said easily. “It’s no biggie.”

“No  _ biggie?” _ Octavian choked. “The praetorship of Rome is  _ no biggie?” _

“The Great Prophecy,” The Doctor cut through, “The Prophecy of Seven –”

“So the Romans know about it too?” Annabeth asked.

Reyna nodded. “Octavian, you have it committed to memory?”

“Of course,” he said, “But, Reyna –”

“Recite it, please. In English, not Latin.”

Octavian sighed.  _ “Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.”  _ He recited,  _ “To storm or fire the world must fall –” _

_ “An oath to keep with a final breath,”  _ Annabeth continued.  _ “And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.” _

Everyone stared at her. Frank sat forwards in his chair, staring at her in fascination. “Is it true you’re a child of Min – I mean, Athena?”

“Yes,” Annabeth said defensively, “Why is that such a surprise?”

Octavian scoffed. “If you’re truly a child of the  _ wisdom  _ goddess –”

“Enough,” Reyna snapped. “Annabeth is what she says. She’s here in peace. Besides…” She gave Annabeth a look of grudging respect. “Percy has spoken highly of you.”

Annabeth turned pink. “Uh, thanks. At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death…”

“That’ll be the Romans and the Greeks.” The Doctor nodded. “They’ve got to combine forces to find the doors.”

“My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors.” Hazel said.

“Wait,” Annabeth said, “Nico di Angelo? He’s your brother?”

Hazel nodded as though this were obvious.

“Okay…” Annabeth said, “You were saying?”

“He disappeared.” The girl moistened her lips. “I’m afraid…I’m not sure, but I think something’s happened to him.”

“We’re going to find him.” The Doctor said firmly. “Thanatos told us we’d find both answers in Rome. If luck’s on our side, we can find him on our way to find the Doors of Death.”

“Oh, right, because luck’s  _ always _ been on our side.” Frank said sarcastically.

“Thanatos told you this?” Annabeth asked. “The death god?”

Percy quickly explained how they’d freed Thanatos.

“Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they’ll just keep coming back.”

Piper twisted the feather in her hair. “Like water leaking through a dam.”

“Yeah.” Percy smiled. “We’ve got a dam hole.”

The Doctor and Annabeth both smirked.

“What?” Piper asked.

“All we’ve got to do is find the doors and close them before we head to Greece.” The Doctor said.

“Oh, is that all?” Frank grumbled.

“It’s the only way we’ll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they  _ stay  _ defeated.” Percy nodded.

Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. “You propose an expedition to Greece in your warshop. You do realize that the ancient lands – and the Mare Nostrum – are dangerous?”

“Mary who?” Leo asked.

“Mare Nostrum.” The Doctor and Jason both answered.

_ “Our Sea.” _ Jason translated.

“The Mediterranean.” The Doctor said.

“The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It’s also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans, and giants…and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America,  _ there  _ it would be ten times worse.”

“You said Alaska would be bad,” Percy said, “We survived that.”

“Barely.” Frank pointed out.

“Oi, who’s side are you on?” The Doctor said.

Reyna shook her head. “Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It’s been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in their right mind would go there.”

“Then we’re good!” Leo grinned. “Because we’re all crazy, right? Besides, the  _ Argo II  _ is a top-of-the-line warship. She’ll get us through.”

“We’ll have to hurry,” Jason added. “I don’t know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She’s invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully.”

_ “Seven half-bloods must answer the call,”  _ Annabeth said. “It needs to be a mix from both our camps. The Doctor doesn’t count ‘cause he’s alien –”

_ “WHAT?”  _ Octavian cried.

Annabeth winced. “Sorry, did you not tell them?”

“No, he told us,” Frank said, “About a half-dozen times. But everyone just kinda assumes he’s nuts.”

“Not a bad assessment.” Annabeth smirked. “Anyway, Jason, Piper, Leo, and me. That’s four.”

“And me,” Percy said. “Along with Hazel and Frank. That’s seven.”

“We’re – We’re just supposed to  _ accept  _ that?” Octavian cried out. “Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without –”

“Percy!” Tyson bounded towards them with Mrs. O’Leary at his heels. On the hellhound’s back sat a very happy Ella.

Tyson stopped by their couch and wrung his hands, big brown eyes full of concern. “Ella is scared.” He said.

“N-n-no more boats,” she muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers.  _ “Titanic, Lusitania, Pax… _ boats are not for harpies.”

Leo squinted. “Did that chicken girl just compare  _ my  _ ship to the  _ Titanic?” _

“She’s not a chicken.” Hazel said nervously, averting her eyes from Leo. “Ella’s a harpy. She’s just a little…high-strung.”

“Ella is pretty,” Tyson said. “And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship.”

“No ships,” Ella repeated. She then looked directly at Annabeth. “Bad luck. There she is.  _ Wisdom’s daughter walks alone –” _

“Ella!” Frank shot out of his seat. “Maybe it’s not the best time –”

_ “The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,” _ Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice.  _ “Twins snuff out the angel’s breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants’ bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail.” _

Everyone at the table froze and fell silent.

“Tyson, why don’t you take Ella outside for some air.” The Doctor said quickly.

“Hold on.” Octavian gripped one of his plush bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes were fixed on Ella. “What was that she said? It sounded like –”

“Ella reads a lot,” Frank blurted out. “We found her at a library.”

“Yes!” Hazel said. “Probably just something she read in a book.”

“Books,” Ella muttered helpfully. “Ella likes books.”

“That was a prophecy,” Octavian insisted. “It sounded like a prophecy.”

The Doctor reached for words to explain the prophecy away, but it was Annabeth who managed to catch the look in Percy’s eye and forced a laugh.

“Really, Octavian?” She said, “Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?”

Her words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. 

“I, uh…” Octavian dropped his plush bear. “No, but –”

“She’s just spouting lines from some book,” Annabeth said casually, “Like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a  _ real  _ prophecy to worry about.” She turned to Tyson. “The Doctor’s right. Why don’t you take Ella and Mrs. O’Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?”

“‘Large dogs are good,’” Ella said.  _ “Old Yeller,  _ 1957, screen-play by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg.”

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned. 

“We’ll Iris-message you guys when we’re done and catch up with you later.” Percy promised.

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her decision.

Reyna studied Ella for a long moment.

“Fine,” She said at last. “Go.”

“Yay!” Tyson went around the sofas and gave everyone a massive hug – even Octavian, who didn’t appear all that happy about it.

Tyson then climbed on Mrs. O’Leary’s back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum, diving right into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.

“Well.” Reyna set down her uneaten apple. “Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate’s approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest – especially one as dangerous as you’re suggesting.”

“This whole thing smells of treachery,” Octavian grumbled. “That trireme is not a ship of peace!”

“Come aboard, man,” Leo offered. “I’ll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you’re really good, I’ll give you a little paper captain’s hat to wear.”

Octavian’s nostrils flared. “How dare you –”  
“That’s a good idea,” Reyna said. “Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We’ll convene a senate meeting in one hour.”

“But…” Octavian stopped, recognizing the look on Reyna’s face as one that he couldn’t argue with. “Fine.”

Leo got up. As he turned, the Doctor could see his smile change. Just for a second. It looked as though someone else was standing in his place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. And then it was gone. 

“Back soon,” Leo promised.

“Leo,” The Doctor said quickly, “Leo, are you doing all right?”

Leo looked genuinely confused. “Yeah? Why?”

The Doctor hesitated. “No reason.”

Leo shrugged. “This is gonna be epic.”

The wind spirits began clearing the plates.

“Uh, Reyna,” Jason said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She’s never seen New Rome.”

Reyna’s expression hardened.

“Of course.” She said coldly.

Percy took Annabeth’s hand. “Yeah, me too. I’d like to show Annabeth –”

“No.” Reyna snapped.

Percy frowned. “Sorry?”

“I’d like a few words with Annabeth,” Reyna said. “Alone. If you don’t mind, my fellow praetor.”

She clearly wasn’t asking for permission.

“Come, daughter of Athena.” Reyna rose from her couch. “Walk with me.”

The two walked away.

“Well, you’ve always got us.” Frank said awkwardly, gesturing to himself, Hazel, and the Doctor.

“Yeah,” Percy let out a small smile. “Yeah, I do.”


	3. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The Doctor, Frank, Hazel, and Percy sat around the table. The feast was dying down and Romans were dispersing amongst the city.

“Leo’s really freaking me out.” Hazel murmured, her eyes staring down at the table. “He just looks  _ so  _ much like him.”

“Hey Doctor, how much do you know about Leo’s past?” Percy asked thoughtfully. “Maybe we can learn if he has a connection to Sammy.”

The Doctor hesitated. “I don’t know how much I can tell you.”

“Just tell us what you know.” Frank suggested casually.

There was a long pause.

“They’re not my stories to tell.” The Doctor finally decided.

“How is it that you seem to know everybody’s secrets?” Hazel asked. 

The Doctor shrugged uncomfortably. “I know a lot of things.”

“Like how this war’s gonna end?” Percy suggested hopefully.

“Yeah, if you really  _ can  _ travel through time,” Frank said skeptically, “Why can’t you just go to the future and find out what’s going to happen?”

__ The Doctor scoffed, “Of course not. My past self might be there.”

“So?” Frank asked. “Wouldn’t that be super helpful? Like, if we could all go and get like, a hundred versions of ourselves – or the gods – and destroy Gaea?”

“It would be a paradox,” The Doctor explained, “So unless you want to rip a hole in time and space –”

“No, no, I think we’re good.” Frank said quickly.

The four of them sat there and spoke for a while. Everything was going relatively well; the Romans were clearly still on-guard, but they seemed a little less tense.

It was only a matter of time before things went wrong.

A shrill sound pierced the air, and an explosion blasted a crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air, and demigods scattered in a panic. 

_ “What the fu –” _

Percy was cut off as the  _ Argo II  _ launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, igniting the building.

All hell broke loose.

Had weapons been allowed in the city, the Doctor had no doubt that, at the very least, he and Percy would already be dead.

But fortunately, he, Percy, Frank, and Hazel were able to duck around angry and scared Romans, trying to grab them.

“The fountain!” Percy shouted.

About fifteen meters away was the large Roman fountain.

Frank and Hazel flanked the sides as Percy sprinted through the center, the Doctor right behind.

Percy began to repel angry Romans with blasts of water.

“Percy!” Annabeth was sprinting across the forum as another explosion went off. But this one wasn’t from the  _ Argo II. _ One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the ship groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.

Octavian was clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. His robes were steaming and his face was black with soot.

Percy blasted the Roman mob with more water.

“Annabeth!” Percy shouted back to her. “What –”

“I don’t know!” She yelled.

“I’ll tell you what!” Cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. “The Greeks have  _ fired  _ on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!”

“You’re lying,” Annabeth said. “Leo would never –”

“I was there!” Octavian shrieked. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

The  _ Argo II _ returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults were blasted to splinters.

“You see?” Octavian screamed. “Romans, kill the invaders!”

“We’ve got to go.” The Doctor said.

Percy nodded. “Hazel, Frank, you’ve got to make a choice. Are you coming?”

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. “Of course we are. But you’ll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time.”

“How?” Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly, a blue of beige shot across the forum. Arion the horse materialized beside the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel mounted him. Strapped to his saddle was her cavalry sword.

She unsheathed her golden blade. “Send me an Iris-message when you’re safely away, and we’ll rendezvous,” she said. “Arion, ride!”

The horse zipped through the crowd with impeccable speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

“Romans, please!” The Doctor could see Jason, halfway across the forum. He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper, but a brick caught him above the eye and he crumpled to the ground. The crowd surged forwards.

“Get back!” Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the Romans, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew the effect wouldn’t last.

“Frank,” The Doctor said. He didn’t need to finish. Frank nodded, knowing exactly what he had to do.

“Just get up the ropes. Now.”

Octavian was still clinging to the bottom of the ladder. Percy yanked him off and the Doctor began to climb, Annabeth and Percy right behind him.

Armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past the Doctor’s head. An explosion nearly knocked him off the ladder. The Doctor was nearly halfway up, he heard a massive roar. 

Looking down, he could see Romans screaming and scattering as a massive dragon charged through the forum. He had rough gray skin and leathery wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off his hide as he lumbered towards Jason and Piper, grabbing them with his front claws, and vaulting into the air.

“Is that…?” Annabeth asked.

“Frank,” Percy confirmed. “He has a few special talents.”

“Understatement.”

Finally, the Doctor climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire, the foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard.

Leo was standing calmly, reloading the ballista.

“Leo!” The Doctor ran over to him.

“Destroy them…” Leo turned to face the Doctor. His eyes were glazed, his movements stiff and uncoordinated. “Destroy them all.”

The Doctor felt a chill run down him. This felt too much like the SS Pentallian.

Leo turned back to the ballista, but the Doctor grabbed him and knocked him to the floor. His head hit the deck painfully and his eyes rolled up into his head.

The gray dragon soared into view, circling the ship once and landing on the bow. Frank deposited Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.

“Go!” Percy yelled. “Get us out of here!”

The Doctor ran for the helm. He didn’t quite recognize all the controls – Leo had strange organizational choices (though he was quite often guilty of much of the same) – but there was one control that was very clear.

He grabbed the aviation throttle and pulled it directly back. The ship groaned and the bow tilted up violently. The mooring lines snapped, and the  _ Argo II  _ shot straight into the clouds.


	4. Leo's Explanation

Out of everyone, the  _ Argo II  _ sustained the most damage. The aft crossbows were piles of kindling (Which, in the Doctor’s opinion, was for the best), the foresail was tattered, the satellite array was blown to bits (which had really made Coach Hedge mad), some of the aerial oars had been knocked out of alignment or broken off completely, and Festus was coughing up smoke. 

As for the crew, Piper and Percy, and were below-deck with Jason, who was still unconscious. Frank, Coach Hedge, and the Doctor stood around Leo at the mast. Leo was awake now, and Annabeth was making him wish he hadn’t woken up.

“Leo,” The Doctor said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. “Just tell me what happened.”

“We  _ saw  _ what happened!” Annabeth shouted. “What I want to know is why!”

“Annabeth, I’ve seen this kind of thing before.” The Doctor said, “He wasn’t in his right mind –”

_ “That’s  _ for sure!”

“Just let him explain.”

“Fine.” Annabeth growled, flinging her hands up in exasperation.

“Leo,” The Doctor repeated. “What happened?”

Leo choked back a sob. “I don’t know. It’s fuzzy.”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “You mean you don’t remember?”

“I…” Leo swallowed, “I remember, but it’s like I was watching myself do things. I couldn’t control it.”

“Did Octavian trick you somehow?” Frank suggested. “Did he frame you, or –”

“No.” Leo said. “The guy was a jerk, but he didn’t fire on the camp. I did.”

“On purpose?”

“No!” Leo squeezed his eyes shut. “Well, yes…I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I  _ felt  _ like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me –”

“A cold feeling?” Annabeth’s tone changed. She sounded almost scared.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Look, kid,” Coach Hedge said, “You blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. Awesome! Excellent! But did you  _ have  _ to knock out the satellite channels? I was right in the middle of watching a cage match.”

“Right, Coach Hedge, Annabeth, Frank, I want all of you out.” The Doctor said.

_ “What?”  _ Annabeth cried.

“Just…Leave me alone with Leo for a bit.” The Doctor said. “Please.”

Annabeth hesitated. “Fine.”

“I’m sure Percy could use our help anyway.” Frank suggested.

Once they were alone, the Doctor sat down next to Leo.

“I feel like I’m going crazy.” Leo said, placing his head in his hands.

“You’re not crazy, Leo.” The Doctor promised. “Actually, I – I think you were possessed.” The Doctor admitted.

_ “Possessed?” _ Leo looked up. “By what?”

“I don’t know…I’ve just seen something like this before…”

“You have?” Leo looked terrified, yet somewhat hopeful. “When was this?”

“A long time ago…I travelled to this ship – the S.S. Pentallian – with…with a friend of mine. A few of the crew got infected.”

“Infected with what?”

“Er – The crew had been illegally harvesting fuel from the sun, but, see, the sun was alive. I’m not sure what it was, exactly, though.”

“What happened?” Leo asked. “To the person who got possessed, I mean.”

“One of them died –”

“One of them?”

“There were three.” The Doctor admitted. “Hal Korwin was the first. Sabotaged the ship…Killed two people…He didn’t make it.”

Leo looked down. “And the other two?”

“The second was Dev Ashton – she was fine – survived. Safe with her team.”

“And the third?”

“Did I say three?”

“Yeah,” Leo said, “You did.”

The Doctor didn’t respond.

“Doctor…What happened to the third person?”

“Nothing.” The Doctor said. “I’m fine.”

_ “You  _ were possessed?” Leo gaped.

“Not really, not properly.” The Doctor said uncomfortably. “But it was  _ in  _ me. I could feel it burning me up inside.”

“Dude, you’ve been through some stuff.”

The Doctor let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m nine hundred and twelve, it’s to be expected.”

“Yeah, but man…that’s just a lot.” Leo let out a sigh. “So you think I was possessed too?” His face went pale and a look of horror seeped across it. “Do you think  _ I  _ could kill someone?”

“No.” The Doctor said, with much more confidence than he was feeling. “I really don’t think you will, Leo.”

Leo nodded. His hands fidgeted in his lap. They were quiet for a long time.

“Was what Percy said true?” Leo asked. “About you losing your memory again?”

The Doctor nodded. “Yeah, it was. Juno took them so that I could protect Percy.”

“But you agreed to it?”

“Yeah, I did.”

A pause.

“Why?”

The Doctor looked at Leo.

“Because I knew that you lot could do it without me.” He said truthfully. “I didn’t know the state Percy was in.”

“We needed you.”

“Nah,” The Doctor smiled softly, “Look at everything you did without me.”

Leo’s face suddenly lit up. “Do you wanna say hi to Festus? I think he missed you.”

The Doctor smiled. “Sounds brilliant.”

When the Doctor and Leo reached the bow of the ship, Festus’s head turned one hundred and eighty degrees to look at them. Fortunately for everyone, the bronze dragon hadn’t been damaged at all.

“How are things looking, Festus?” Leo asked.

Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking and whirring sounds, describing exactly what was wrong.

“Ugh,” Leo said. “Could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again? We’ll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, lime…”

Festus made another creak.

“Oh… _ Hazel _ ,” Leo murmured before turning to the Doctor. “That’s the girl with the curly hair, right?”

“Yep.”

Festus groaned again. Hazel and Arion were following the ship beneath them.

“We should land, then.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, but here’s the thing,” Leo sighed, “We can only manage one landing. The way the hull and the oars are, we won’t be able to lift off again until we repair, so we’ll have to make sure we land somewhere with all the right supplies.”

“Festus, can you do a scan?”

It was only a few minutes before Festus let out a whir and a squeak.

“Perfect.” Leo sighed with relief. He then looked at the Doctor. “Would you mind letting everyone else know…I don’t want to…”

The Doctor nodded in understanding and descended below-deck.

_ “You left him alone?” _ Annabeth all but shouted as she saw him come into view.

“Frank,” The Doctor said, ignoring Annabeth, “We’ve found a place to land and restock. I need you to go let Hazel know to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah.”

Frank nodded.

“Is it true?” Percy asked suddenly, “Is it true that Leo  _ did  _ fire the ballista?”

“It’s not that simple, Percy.” The Doctor sighed.

_ “How  _ is it not that simple?”

The Doctor explained his suspicions.

“I felt the cold feeling, too.” Annabeth admitted. “On the way here. It must have been some sort of magic.”

“I’m not sure exactly.” The Doctor admitted, running a hand through his hair. “But we’ll figure it out.”

He ascended back to where Leo was waiting, listening to everything.

The landing was not fantastic. With the oars damaged and the foresail torn, the Doctor and Leo managed more of a controlled fall than a smooth landing.

The others strapped themselves in below – apart from Coach Hedge, that is, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, “YEAH! Bring it on, lake!”

To the southeast, the Doctor could see a city nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows. A flat desert landscape spread to the south. Directly beneath them, the Great Salt Lake glittered.

“Hang on, Coach!” Leo shouted. “This is going to hurt!”

“I was  _ born  _ to hurt!”

_ WHOOM! _

The smell of salt water washed over the bow, dousing Coach Hedge. The  _ Argo II  _ listed dangerously to starboard, then righted itself and rocked on the surface of the lake. Machinery hummed as the aerial blades that were still working changed to nautical form.

Three banks of robotic oars dipped into the water and began moving them forwards.

“Brilliant job, Festus.” The Doctor grinned at the metal dragon.

“Take us toward the south shore.” Leo said.

“Yeah!” Coach Hedge pumped his fists in the air, drenched from horns to hooves, yet grinning madly. “Do it again!”

“Uh, maybe later,” Leo said. “Just stay above deck, okay?”

“Keep an eye on the lake,” The Doctor suggested. “In case anything tries to attack us.”

“On it,” Coach Hedge promised.

Leo rang the  _ All clear  _ bell and headed for the stairs, the Doctor right behind. Before they got there, there was the loud thumping of hooves. A tan stallion appeared on deck with Hazel on his back.

“How –?” Leo choked in surprise. “We’re in the middle of the lake! Can that thing fly?”

Arion whinnied a few rude comments.

“How’s he supposed to know?” The Doctor shot back.

Hazel laughed. “Arion can’t fly, but he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains – none of that bothers him.”

“Oh.”

Hazel looked at Leo deeply, as though studying him. 

Coach Hedge crept forwards with his baseball bat, eyeing the horse suspiciously. “Doctor, does this count as an invasion?”

“No, no.” The Doctor said quickly. “Most definitely not.”

“Um, Hazel, you’d better come with me.” Leo said awkwardly. “I built a stable belowdecks, if Arion wants to –”

“He’s more of a free spirit.” Hazel slipped out of the saddle. “He’ll graze around the lake until I call him. But I want to see the ship. Lead the way.”

The Doctor followed Hazel and Leo through the ship. It was designed like an ancient trireme, only it was twice as large. The first deck had one central corridor with crew cabins on either side. On an ordinary trireme, most of the space would’ve ben taken up with three rows of benches for a few hundred men to do the manual labor, but Leo’s oars were automated and retractable, so they took up very little room inside the hull. The ship’s power came from the engine room on the second and lowest deck, which also housed sickbay, storage, and the stables.

Leo led them down the hall. He’d built the ship with nine cabins – seven for each of the demigods, one room for the Doctor, and one room for Coach Hedge.

They passed Jason’s room. The door was open. Piper sat at the side of his bed, holding his hand whilst he snored, an ice pack on his head.

Piper glanced up, holding a finger to her lips for quiet. Leo nodded and led the Doctor and Hazel into the dining hall where they found Percy, Annabeth, and Frank, sitting dejectedly around the table.

The lounge was lovely. The chairs were soft recliners with built-in headphones and sword and drink holders. There were no windows, but the walls were enchanted to show footage from Camp Half-Blood – the beach, the forest, the strawberry fields.

Percy was staring longingly at a sunset view of Half-Blood Hill, where the Golden Fleece glittered in the branches of the tall pine tree.

“So we’ve landed,” Percy said. “What now?”

He seemed less angry now. A little more sullen.

Frank plucked on his bowstring. “Figure out the prophecy?” He suggested. “I mean…that  _ was  _ a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?”

“The what?” Leo asked.

The Doctor quickly explained Ella and her photographic memory. At some point in the past, she’d read a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed during the fall of Rome (That reminded the Doctor that he had some ancient reading to do once all this was over).

“And that’s why you didn’t tell the Romans,” Leo guessed. “You didn’t want them to get hold of her.”

“When we found her, she was captive.” The Doctor explained. “And if the Romans found out – if Octavian found out – she’d be worse off than before.”

“I sent Tyson and Iris-message,” Percy said, his eyes not moving from the image of Half-Blood Hill. “told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They’ll be safe there.”

Annabeth laced her fingers. “Let me think about the prophecy – but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?”

“The easiest thing is tar.” Leo said. “We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here.”

“Right, we’ve got to move quickly,” The Doctor said. “Last time I was on the run from the Roman army –”

“Last time,  _ what?” _ Annabeth said. And then, “You know what, I’m not surprised.”

“Last time,” The Doctor continued, “They sent a strike force. It’s a matter of honour for them.”

“Octavian is undoubtedly already searching for us with his auguries.” Hazel nodded.

“Guys…” Leo said. “I don’t know what happened. Honestly, I –”

Annabeth raised her hand. “We’ve been talking. We agree it couldn’t have been  _ you,  _ Leo. There’s just too much against it. Whether it was Octavian or Gaea or one of her minions, we don’t think it was you. But until we understand what happened –”

Frank grunted. “How can we be sure it won’t happen again?”

Leo looked down at the floor. “I’m fine now,” he insisted. “Maybe we should use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason, send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime.”

“Split up?” Percy said. “That sounds like a really bad idea.”

“It’ll be quicker,” Hazel put in.

The Doctor nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, they had to keep moving. 

“Not to mention,” Annabeth said. “Seven demigods in one place will attract way too much monsterous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us, so we should be safe enough on board, but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn’t travel in groups larger than three. No sense alerting more of Gaea’s minions than we have to.”

Percy still didn’t look satisfied, but he took Annabeth’s hand. “As long as you’re my buddy, I’m good.”

Hazel smiled. “Oh, that’s easy. Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon! Could you do it again and fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar?”

Frank opened his mouth as though he wanted to protest. “I…I supposed. But what about you?”

“I’ll ride Arion with the Doctor and Sa – and Leo.” She fidgeted with her sword hilt. “We’ll get the bronze and lime. We can all meet back here by dark.”

Frank hesitated looking from Hazel to Leo to the Doctor.

“Leo,” The Doctor said, “if we get the supplies, how long will it take to fix the ship?”

Leo grinned. “With your help, it’ll take a couple hours, tops.”

“Brilliant. We’ll meet back here as soon as we can.” The Doctor grinned at Annabeth, Percy, and Frank.

“Stay safe.” Annabeth said. “We could use some good luck. That doesn’t mean we’ll get it.”


	5. The goddess of Revenge

Arion’s hooves turned the surface of the lake to a salty mist. Ahead of them lay an island – a line of pure white sand in front of an expanse of grassy dunes and weathered boulders.

Arion thundered onto the beach and stomped his hooves, whinnying triumphantly.

The Doctor, Leo, and Hazel dismounted, and Arion pawed at the sand.

“He’s hungry.” The Doctor translated.

“I know.” Hazel sighed, glancing at Leo. “He likes gold, but –”

“Gold?” Leo asked.

“He’ll settle for grass.” Hazel said. “Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you.”

The horse sped away, leaving nothing but a steaming trail across the lake.

“Fast horse,” Leo said, “and expensive to feed.”

“Not really,” Hazel said. “Gold is easy for me.”

Leo raised his eyebrows. “How is gold easy? Please tell me you’re not related to King Midas. I don’t like that guy.”

Hazel pursed her lips. “Never mind.”

The Doctor shuffled his feet in the sand. “Well, here’s the lime.”

Hazel frowned. “Where?”

Leo knelt down, “The whole beach is made of it. See the granules? They’re perfectly round. This isn’t sand, it’s –”

“Calcium carbonate.” The Doctor nodded.

Leo pulled a plastic bag from his tool belt and dug his hands into the lime.

Suddenly, he froze.

“Leo…?” The Doctor asked, “You ‘right?”

Leo took a shaky breath. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, fine.”

He began to fill the bag.

The Doctor and Hazel knelt down to help him.

“We should’ve brought a pail and shovels.” Hazel said.

Leo smiled. “We could’ve made a sand castle.”

“A lime castle.”

Hazel and Leo locked eyes.

Hazel hurriedly looked away. “You are  _ so  _ much like Sammy.”

“Who’s – who’s Sammy?”

“Um…No one. He’s no one.” Hazel said quickly, shooting the Doctor a look that told him not to say anything. “But you don’t by any chance have a twin brother or…” She paused. “Is your family from New Orleans?”

“Nah. Houston.”

“Oh…”

Once they finished filling the bag, Leo stuffed it in his tool belt.

The Doctor looked at Hazel as Leo stood to scan the island.

“Hazel, can you sense any Celestial bronze?” The Doctor asked.

“Festus said there was some close by –” Leo began, but Hazel cut him off.

“That way.” She pointed up the beach. “About five hundred yards.”

Leo stared at her. “How do you –”

“Precious metals,” Hazel said. “It’s a Pluto thing.”

“Handy talent.” Leo nodded. “Lead the way, Miss Metal Detector.”

As they walked, the sun began to set, turning the sky a mix of purple and yellow. The further they walked, the more on edge Leo looked.

Finally, Hazel turned inland.

“You sure this is a good idea?” Leo asked nervously.

“We’re close,” Hazel promised. “Come on.”

Just over the dunes, they saw a horrifyingly familiar figure.

A dalek was perched atop a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. A black and white chrome motorcycle was parked nearby, but each of the wheels had a large slice removed front he spokes and rim. This bike was clearly not drivable in this situation.

The dalek was about six and a half feet tall, a chilling golden colour, with a subtle design burned on the back of its dome – twisted branches of an apple tree populated with skeletal birds. Wrapped around a hook on the side was a curled whip. Seeing as it had no hands, this was suspicious. Around its base, the ground was littered with broken fortune cookies. Using its suction, it would pull new ones out of a sack and crack them open.

The Doctor froze like a deer in the headlights. He then jumped into action, pulling Hazel and Leo behind a dune, out of sight.

“Doctor…” Hazel whispered. “Are you all right? Do you know her?”

“Her?” The Doctor snapped out of it, staring at Hazel.

“Yeah…?”

“What –” The Doctor cleared his throat. “What do  _ you _ see?”

“Uh, it’s a woman with black curly hair, leather pants, and like this red leather Jacket – like if Michael Jackson joined the Hell’s Angels.” Leo said.

After hearing this, the Doctor stood up, marching towards the figure, leaving Hazel and Leo little choice but to follow.

Around it, a pile of broken cookies lay ankle-deep. It kept pulling new ones from his sack, cracking them open, and reading the fortunes. Most it dropped onto the ground. A few made it mutter unhappily. It would swipe a scan from its eye-stalk over the slip of paper, then magically reseal the cookie and drop it into a nearby basket.

“Who are you?” The Doctor demanded. 

The dalek’s eye stalk turned to face the three. Chills ran down the Doctor’s spine, and he swallowed the anger that was welling up in his throat.

Leo and Hazel both gasped.

“Aunt Rosa?” Leo asked.

“Is that what you see?” The dalek asked. It was strange to hear a dalek speak with emotion in its voice. There was genuine curiosity. “Interesting. And you, my dear Doctor?”

“Tell me who you are.” The Doctor growled.

“Ooh,” The dalek teased. It was unnerving to hear it like that. “I do love a reaction like that. “What about you, Hazel dear?”

“How did you –?” Hazel stepped back in alarm. “You – you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you.”

The dalek let out a laugh. “Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?”

“You – she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving,” Hazel said. “She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn’t do and – No. She  _ has  _ to be dead. Who  _ are  _ you?”

“Oh, Leo knows,” the dalek said. “How do you feel about Aunt Rosa,  _ mijo?” _

Leo froze, his eyes drifting to the motorcycle.

“You’re Nemesis.” He said. “You’re the goddess of revenge.”

“You see? He recognizes me.” The dalek’s eyestalk turned to Hazel, and then the Doctor. “You still haven’t told me, dear Doctor, who do you see?”

“I see my oldest foe.” The Doctor said coldly. “But it’s not real. You’re not a dalek.”

The dalek laughed, cracking another cookie.  _ “You will have great fortune when you least expect it.” _ It read. “That’s exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they’ll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to people who don’t deserve it!”

Leo looked down at the mound of broken cookies. “Uh…you know those aren’t real prophecies, right? They’re just stuffed in the cookies at some factory –”

“Don’t try to excuse it!” The dalek snapped. “It’s just like Tyche to get people’s hopes up. No, no. I  _ must  _ counter her.” The eyestalk let out a blue light over the slip of paper, and the letters changed to red:  _ “You will die painfully when you most expect it. _ There! Much better.”

“That’s horrible!” Hazel said. “You’d let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?”

“My dear, Hazel,” The dalek said, “haven’t you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?”

“That doesn’t mean I’d want them to come true!”

“Bah.” The dalek resealed the cookie and dropped it in the basket. “Tyche would be Fortuna for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she’s in a horrible way right now. Me? I’m not affected. I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal.”

“Why are you here?” The Doctor demanded. “What do you want?”

The dalek opened another cookie. “Lucky numbers. Ridiculous! That’s not even a proper fortune!” It crushed the cookie and scattered the pieces around its base.

“To answer your question, Time Lord, the gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a civil war is brewing between the Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They became quite schizophrenic, I’m afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation.”

“But we’re not at war!” Leo insisted.

“Um, Leo…” Hazel winced. “Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome.”

Leo stared at her. “Not on purpose!”

“But the Romans don’t know that.” The Doctor sighed, running his hands through his hair.

Hazel nodded. “They’ll be pursuing us in retaliation.”

The dalek cackled. “War is coming. Gaea has seen it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament.”

Leo looked down at his feet. “Me.”

“Well, don’t  _ you  _ have a high opinion of yourself.” The dalek snorted (a sound the Doctor wasn’t sure daleks were even capable of). “You’re just a pawn on the chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks andRomans together. The gods blame Hera – or Juno, if you prefer! The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don’t expect any more help from your patron!”

“You still haven’t told us why you’re here.” The Doctor said.

“Why, to offer  _ my  _ help!” The dalek said, turning its eyestalk between the three of them.

“And why would you want to help us?” The Doctor demanded.

“I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants.” The dalek stated. “Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?” Hazel said. “I lost my mother. I died and came back. Now my brother is missing. Isn’t that enough sacrifice for you?”

“Right now,” Leo said, clearly trying to control his anger, “all I want is some Celestial bronze.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” the dalek said. “It’s just over the rise. You’ll find it with the sweethearts.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “The sweethearts?”

“You’ll see.” The dalek said, pivoting its eyestalk towards Hazel. “Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life. And speaking of your brother Nico, you don’t have much time. Let’s see…it’s June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome.”

Hazel’s eyes widened. “How…what –”

“As for  _ you _ , child of fire.” The eyestalk turned to Leo. “Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you…for a price.”

Leo’s hand burst into flame. Hazel stared at him in terror. 

“Leo,” The Doctor murmured.

Leo glanced down, then shoved his hand in his pocket to extinguish the flames. “I like to solve my own problems.”

“Very well.” The dalek said.

“But, um,” Leo looked up. “What sort of price are we talking about?”

“One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world.” The dalek said.

“Ethan Nakamura.” The Doctor said.

“That’s the one.” The dalek agreed.

“You…” Leo swallowed. “You want an eye?”

“In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here.” The dalek sucked up a fortune cookie and dropped it into Leo’s hands. “If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem.”

Leo’s hands were trembling. “What problem?”

“You’ll know when the time comes.”

“No, thanks,” Leo said firmly, yet still slipped the cookie into his tool belt.

The dalek sucked up another cookie from the bag and cracked it open.  _ “You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon.  _ Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here.”

It resealed the cookie and dropped it into the basket. “Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest. Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again – an old wrong finally avenged. Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help.”

“I suppose you won’t tell us what you’re talking about,” Hazel muttered. “Or why my brother Nico has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed.”

The dalek laughed, and the bag of cookies magically lifted and attached to a hook on its side. “Oh, it’s all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You’re a good child. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite…agitated when the darkness comes.”

The dalek hovered in the air, then landed upon the motorcycle seat. Had the creature not plagued the Doctor with so many gruesome memories, it may have looked funny.

The engine revved and both it and the dalek disappeared in a mushroom cloud of black smoke.

The Doctor let out a heavy breath.

Hazel knelt down. All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except one crumpled slip of paper. She picked it up and read:  _ “You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair.” _

“Fantastic,” Leo grumbled. “Let’s go see what that means.”


	6. Narcissus the Narcissist

“So, what’s a dalek?” Leo asked as they walked.

“Nothing.” The Doctor said coldly.

“But I’ve never seen you want to take revenge on  _ anything. _ ” Leo said.

The Doctor glared at him. “I told you, it’s nothing.” He growled.

Leo looked down guiltily at his feet.

“What about Aunt Rosa?” Hazel asked, “Who’s she?”

“Long story.” Leo said. “She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well…” Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “What about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?”

Hazel blinked the tears from her eyes. “Nico…he found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me. I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico’s in danger…I  _ have  _ to help him.”

“We.” The Doctor corrected quietly. _“We_ will help him.”

“Yeah.” Hazel smiled. “We.”

“And what Nemesis said about your brother having six days to live,” Leo went on, “and Rome getting destroyed…any idea what she meant?”

“None,” Hazel admitted. “But I’m afraid…”

Hazel didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t really need to.

The Doctor climbed one of the largest boulders to get a better view.

“When we were talking to Nemesis,” The Doctor heard Hazel say to Leo, “your hands…I saw flames.”

“Yeah,” Leo replied uncomfortably. “It’s a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control.”

“Oh.” She put her hand protectively on her denim shirt over Frank’s stick.

The Doctor cast his gaze across the island. The opposite shore was only a few hundred meters away. In between the other side and where the trio stood were dunes and clumps of boulders, but nothing that looked to be a reflecting pool.

The Doctor looked down. Leo was sitting on the boulder, staring into his hands.

“Leo,” The Doctor sighed, sitting next to the boy. “What Nemesis said to you, don’t take it to hearts – er, heart. She’s the goddess of revenge, she  _ wants  _ you to feel resentment.”

Leo nodded silently. “We should keep going. I wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark.”

The Doctor glanced up. The sun was just touching the horizon.

“And who is the  _ cursed boy _ she mentioned?” Hazel added.

Below them, a voice said, “Cursed boy she mentioned.”

The Doctor spun around. There was a young woman standing only three meters from the base of the boulder. Her dress was a Greek-style tunic the same colour as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown, blond, and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved.

“Hello?” The Doctor called, “Who are you?”

“Who are you?” The girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, as though tired of answering that question.

The Doctor slid off the boulder. “Are you all right?”

“Are you all right?” she repeated.

“Can I come towards you?” The Doctor asked.

“Come towards you.” She repeated.

The Doctor moved towards the girl. “Are you – you’re Echo, yeah?”

“Echo, yeah.” The girl said. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape.

“Echo, that’s from that myth of the girl who was cursed to repeat the last thing she heard.” Leo said.

“Poor thing,” Hazel said. “If I remember right, a goddess did this?”

“A goddess did this.” Echo confirmed.

Leo scratched his head. “But wasn’t that thousands of years…oh. You’re one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people.”

“Dead people,” Echo said it as though she was chastising him.

Hazel was staring at her feet.

“Uh…sorry,” Leo muttered, noticing this. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“That way.” Echo pointed towards the far shore of the island.

“Do you want to show us something?” The Doctor asked.

“Show us something.” Echo said.

“Do you need help?”

“Help.” Echo agreed emphatically.

“You sure you’re real?” Leo asked skeptically. “I mean…flesh and blood?”

The Doctor could somewhat see where he was coming from. Even with his superior Time Lord vision, she was difficult to see, as she camouflaged into everything.

“Flesh and blood.” Echo touched Leo’s face.

“So…you have to repeat everything?”

“Everything.”

Leo smiled. “That could be fun.”

“Fun,” Echo said unhappily.

“Blue elephants.”

“Blue elephants.”

“Kiss me, you fool.”

“You fool.”

The Doctor stifled a laugh.

“Hey!” Leo said.

“Hey!”

“Leave her alone,” The Doctor said.

“Leave her alone.” Echo agreed.

“Okay, okay.” Leo sighed.

“Right, Echo, lead the way.” The Doctor said.

“Echo lead the way.” Echo sprinted down the slope, the Doctor, Hazel, and Leo right behind.

It didn’t take long to find the problem. Echo led them down into a grassy meadow shaped like a blast crater, with a small pond in the middle. Gathered at the water’s edge were several dozen nymphs. They wore gossamer dresses, their feet were bare, they had elfish features, and their skin had a slightly greenish tinge.

These nymphs were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Several held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of the others. They were bouncing up and down, giggling excitedly.

“What are they looking at?” Leo wondered aloud.

“Looking at,” Echo sighed.

“One way to find out.” Hazel marched forth, nudging her way through the crowd. “Excuse us. Pardon me.”

“Hey!” One nymph complained. “We were here first!”

“Yeah,” Another sniffed. “He won’t be interested in  _ you.” _

The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks. Over her dress, she wore a T-shirt that read:  _ OMG, I <3 N!!!!!! _

The Doctor took out and flashed the psychic paper. “Official godly business.”

The nymphs grumbled, but parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.

This man was admittedly  _ gorgeous. _ He had a chiseled face with lips with lightly femanine features. Dark hair swept over his brow. He looked somewhere between seventeen or twenty, and he was built like a dancer with long graceful arms and muscular legs. He had perfect posture and an air of regal calm. He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans with a bow and quiver strapped to his back, though it was very clear it hadn’t been used in a while. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.

His face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off a large flat sheet of Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing the man’s features in a warm glow.

The man was fascinated with his reflection in the metal.

Hazel inhaled sharply. “He’s gorgeous.”

Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.

“I am,” the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. “I am  _ so  _ gorgeous.”

One nymph showed Hazel her iPhone screen. “His latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, an  _ hour.  _ I think I was half of those!”

The other nymphs giggled.

“YouTube video?” Leo asked. “What does he do in the video, sing?”

“No, silly!” the nymph chided. “He used to be a prince, and a wonderful hunter and stuff. But that doesn’t matter. Now he just…well, look!” She showed off the video. It was exactly as they were seeing in real life – the young man staring at himself in the pond.

“He is soooooo hot!” said another nymph. Her T-shirt read: Mrs. Narcissus.

“Oh.” The Doctor said. “Narcissus.”

“Narcissus.” Echo agreed sadly.

“Oh, not  _ you  _ again!” The nymph with the Mrs. Narcissus T-shirt tried to push Echo away, but she misjudged where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.

“Oi!” The Doctor tried to intervene, but the nymphs ignored him.

“You had your chance, Echo!” said the nymph with the iPhone. “He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are  _ so  _ not good enough for him.”

“For him,” Echo said bitterly.

“Echo, what do you need help with?” The Doctor asked.

One nymph rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus. “Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time.”

“I know!” Another nymph shrieked. “Like, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeia – you know she lives in the boulder next to me? – I said:  _ Stop gossiping or you’ll end up like Echo.  _ Cleopeia is such a big mouth! Did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?”

“Totally!” said the nymph with the poster. “So anyway, as punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which was  _ fine  _ with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissus – as if he would ever notice her.”

“As if!” said a half dozen others.

“Now she’s got some weird idea he needs saving,” the nymph with the Mrs. Narcissus shirt said. “She should go away.”

“Go away,” Echo growled back.

“I’m  _ so  _ glad Narcissus is alive again,” said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the words ‘NARCISSUS + LAIEA’ written up and down her arms in black marker. “He’s like  _ the best!  _ And he’s in  _ my  _ territory.”

“Oh, stop it, Laiea,” her friend said.  _ “I’m  _ the pond nymph. You’re just the rock nymph.”

“Well, I’m the grass nymph,” another protested.

“No, he obviously came here because he likes the wild flowers!” another said. “Those are mine!”

The mob began arguing, all the while, Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring them.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, approaching Narcissus. The nymphs quieted down, watching curiously.

“‘Ello, Narcissus.” The Doctor knelt down beside him as though talking to a child.

“Could you move?” Narcissus asked distractedly. “You’re ruining the view.”

The Doctor glanced at the water. His own reflection was rippling next to Narcissus’s on the surface of the submerged bronze. 

“Right, er, would you mind if we could just borrow that sheet of bronze, then?”

“No,” Narcissus said. “I love him. He’s gorgeous.”

“Man,” Leo said from behind the Doctor, “You  _ do  _ realize that you’re looking at  _ yourself  _ in the water, right?”

“I am so great,” Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. “No, I can’t make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow…I am  _ so  _ great.”

“What if I could get you a smaller mirror?” The Doctor suggested.

“Yeah!” Leo pulled a simple mirror out of his tool belt, handing it to the Doctor, who handed it to Narcissus.

Narcissus took the mirror reluctantly, and admired himself. “Even  _ you  _ carry a picture of me? I don’t blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you.” He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. “But I already have a much better image. The colour flatters me, don’t you think?”

“Oh, gods yes!” A nymph screamed. “Marry me, Narcissus!”

“No, me!” Another cried. “Would you sign my poster?”

“No, sign my shirt!”

“No, sign my forehead!”

“No, sign my –”

“Stop it!” Hazel snapped.

“Stop it.” Echo agreed. The camouflaged nymph was now kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration, but Narcissus didn’t so much as blink.

The nymphs tried to shove Hazel and Leo out of the way, but Hazel drew her sword and forced them back.

“Hazel, put that away.” The Doctor ordered calmly, though his voice was still forceful.

Hazel huffed and put her sword away.

“Yeah, he won’t sign your sword.” The poster nymph said.

“He won’t marry you, either,” said the nymph with the iPhone. “And you can’t take his bronze mirror! That’s what  _ keeps  _ him here!”

“You’re all ridiculous,” Hazel said. “He’s so  _ full  _ of himself! How can you possibly like him?”

“Like him,” Echo sighed, still waving her hand in front of his face.

The others sighed along with her.

“I am so hot,” Narcissus said sympathetically.

“Narcissus, listen.” Hazel said, “Echo brought us here to help you. Didn’t you, Echo?”

“Echo,” said Echo.

“Who?” Narcissus said.

“The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently.” Hazel said.

“Narcissus,” The Doctor said thoughtfully, “Do you remember dying?”

Narcissus frowned. “I…no. That can’t be right. I am much too important to die.”

“You died staring at yourself,” Hazel provided. “I don’t remember the story exactly –”

“Nemesis cursed you.” The Doctor said. “You broke so many hearts that she cursed you to fall in love with your own reflection.”

“I love me so, so much.” Narcissus agreed.

“You died, Narcissus.” The Doctor said. “You stared at your reflection until you wasted away and turned to a flower that hung over the water.”

“Look, you’re alive again, man.” Leo said, “You have a second chance. That’s what Nemesis was telling us. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again.”

“Stay here!” All the nymphs screamed.

“Marry me before you die!” Another squeaked.

Narcissus shook his head. “You just want my reflection. I don’t blame you, but you can’t have it. I belong to me.”

Hazel sighed in exasperation.

The Doctor thought for a long moment. “You know what, Narcissus, you’re right. You’re incredible.”

“Yes, I am.” Narcissus agreed.

“But that mirror, it’s dirty.”

“It is?” Narcissus frowned. 

The Doctor nodded. “We could clean it for you,” He pulled out the psychic paper, “See? Certified mirror-cleaners.”

Narcissus appeared to consider this for a moment.

“No…I just can’t do it. Not even for a minute. Anyway, look at me. I’m already perfect.”

To the Doctor’s surprise, Leo sauntered forth, bypassing the Doctor and standing right beside Narcissus. He was wearing a pair of welding goggles, had his hair slicked back with machine oil, and on his biceps there was a marker drawing of the words: HOT STUFF with a skull and crossbones, clearly meant to look like a tattoo.

“Leo is the coolest!” He shouted.

“Leo is the coolest!” Echo shouted back.

“Yeah, baby, check me out!”

“Check me out!” Echo said.

“Make way for the king!”

“The king!”

“Narcissus is weak!”

“Weak!”

Hazel grabbed the Doctor pulling him off the ground.

“What’s he doing?” The Doctor whispered as Leo shooed the crowd of scattered nymphs as though they were bothering him.

“No autographs, girls. I know you want some Leo time, but I’m way too cool. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He’s lame!”

“Giving us a distraction! Come on!” Hazel said, standing at the ready, waiting for the perfect moment.

Leo was flexing his biceps, showing off his HOT STUFF tattoo. He had the nymphs’ attention, mostly out of shock. But Narcissus’s gaze was still fixed on his reflection.

“You know how ugy Narcissus is?” Leo asked the crowd of stunned nymphs. “He’s so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur – with a horse butt for a face.”

Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of a gnat buzzing around his head.

“You know why his bow has cobwebs?” Leo continued. “He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can’t find one!”

One of the nymphs laughed. The others quickly elbowed her into silence.

Narcissus turned and scowled. “Who  _ are  _ you?”

“I’m the Super-sized McShizzle, man!” Leo said. “I’m Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies  _ love  _ a bad boy.”

“Love a bad boy!” Echo said with a convincing squeal.

Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. “Narcissus is a loser! He’s so weak, he can’t bench-press a Kleenex. He’s so lame, when you look up  _ lame  _ on Wikipedia, it’s got a picture of Narcissus – only the picture’s so  _ ugly,  _ no one ever checks it out.”

Narcissus knit his eyebrows, his face turning pink. For the moment, he completely forgot about the pond. Hazel took her shot. In that very moment, the Doctor could see the Celestial bronze sink into the sand.

“What are you talking about?” He demanded. “I am amazing. Everyone knows this.”

“Amazing at  _ pure suck. _ ” Leo said. The Doctor watched the massive sheet of bronze rise from the earth and Hazel began to run, the Doctor helping as much as he could.

He could still hear Leo in the background.

“That’s right! Team Leo for the win!” He was shouting.

“Team Leo for the win!” Echo shouted.

“Oh my gods, I am so awesome!” Leo bellowed.

“So awesome!” Echo yelled back.

“He  _ is  _ funny,” A nymph ventured.

“And cute, in a scrawny way,” Another said.

“Scrawny?” Leo asked. “Baby, I  _ invented  _ scrawny. Scrawny is the new  _ sizzling hot.  _ And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He’s such a loser even the Underworld didn’t want him. He couldn’t get the ghost girls to date him.”

“Eww,” said a nymph.

“Eww!” Echo agreed.

“Stop!” Narcissus said. “This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be…He must be tricking us.” 

Yeah, this wasn’t good.

“The bronze mirror is gone!” Narcissus cried out in realization. “My reflection! Give me back to me!”

“Team Leo!” One of the nymphs squeaked.

_ “I’m  _ the beautiful one!” Narcissus insisted. “He’s stolen my mirror, and I’m going to leave unless we get it back!”

The girls gasped. One shouted. “There!”

The Doctor glanced back, he and Hazel were on the top of the crater now. The nymph in the Miss Narcissus t-shirt was pointing at them.

“Get it back!” Cried a nymph.

“Get it back.” Echo was forced to mutter.

“Yes!” Narcissus said, unslinging his bow and grabbing an arrow from his dusty quiver. “The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you  _ almost  _ as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!”

“Oh my gods!” The nymphs screamed.

“And kill those demigods!” Narcissus added, glaring at Leo, who was now running towards the Doctor and Hazel. “They are  _ not  _ as cool as me!”

Hazel let out a whistle, calling for Arion.

Leo tried to help as well once he reached the other two. Narcissus was nocking in an arrow, but it was so old and brittle, it broke into splinters.

“Ow!” He yelled. “My manicure!”

Ordinarily, nymphs were quick, but these ones were burdened with posters, T-shirts, and all sorts of Narcissus™ merchandise. The nymphs were also not all that good at working together. They kept stumbling over each other, pushing and shoving. Echo made things worse by running amongst them, tripping and tackling as many as she possibly could.

Still, they were closing in rapidly.

“Call Arion!” Leo gasped.

“Already did!” Hazel said.

“Leo, that was brilliant!” The Doctor grinned.

Leo looked back at the nymphs, “Clearly not!”

They ran for the beach, making it to the edge of the water where they could see the  _ Argo II,  _ but it was much too far to swim across, even without the massive sheet of bronze.

The Doctor glanced back. The nymphs were coming over the dunes, Narcissus in the lead, holding his bow like a baton. The nymphs had conjured assorted weapons. Some held rocks. Some had wooden clubs wreathed in flowers. A few even had squirt guns.

“Oh, man,” Leo muttered, summoning fire to his free hand. “Straight-up fighting isn’t my thing.”

“No, it isn’t, we don’t have to fight them.” The Doctor said, giving Leo a pointed look. 

Leo sighed and the flames died down. “Then what are we _supposed_ to do?”  
The Doctor hesitated. He stood in front of Hazel and Leo.

The nymphs were getting close now. Echo raced ahead of them, coming to a stop in front of Leo. She turned, spreading her arms as if to personally shield him.

“Echo?” Leo said, he stared at her. “You’re one brave nymph.”

“Brave nymph?” She looked up at Leo with big hopeful eyes.

“I’m proud to have you on Team Leo,” he said. “If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus.”

“Forget Narcissus?” She said uncertainty.

“You’re way too good for him.”

The nymphs surrounded them in a semicircle, trapping them against the water.

“Trickery!” Narcissus said. “They don’t love me, girls!  _ We  _ all love me, don’t we?”

“Yes!” the girls screamed, apart from one confused nymph in a yellow dress who squeaked, “Team Leo!”

“Kill them!” Narcissus ordered.

The nymphs surged forwards, but the sand in front of them exploded. Arion raced out of nowhere, circling the nymphs so quickly he created a sandstorm, showering the nymphs in white lime, spraying their eyes.

“I love this horse!” Leo said.

The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow around wildly.

Hazel climbed into the saddle, hoisting up the bronze, the Doctor climbing up behind her. Leo didn’t, though.

“We can’t leave Echo!” He said.

“Leave Echo.” The nymph repeated, smiling sadly.

“Why?” Leo asked. “You don’t think you can still save Narcissus…”

“Save Narcissus.” She said confidently. 

Leo looked as though he wanted to protest, but Echo leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek, then pushed him gently away.

The other nymphs were starting to recover. They were wiping the lime out of their eyes – eyes that were now glowing green with anger.

“Leo, we’ve got to go!” The Doctor insisted.

Leo looked at Echo once more.

“Yeah,” he said shakily. “Yeah, okay.”

He climbed up behind the Doctor and Arion took off across the water. Behind them, nymphs were screaming, and Narcissus was shouting, “Bring me back! Bring me back!”

But Arion was already speeding towards the  _ Argo II. _


	7. Topeka 32

By the time Leo, Hazel, and the Doctor stumbled to a stop by the doorway of Jason’s bedroom with the sheet of bronze, Jason was already awake.

“Oh, gods of Olympus,” Piper stared at them, “What happened to  _ you?” _

“Long story.” Leo murmured. “Others back?”

“Not yet,” Piper said.

Leo cursed. “I’m gonna head to the engine room. Glad you’re better, Jason.”

“How are you doing?” The Doctor asked Jason once Leo had made his way out.

“Great,” Jason grinned. “What happened to you guys?”

“We met Narcissus.” The Doctor said.

“And Nemesis,” Hazel added, “the revenge goddess.”

Jason sighed. “I miss all the fun.”

On the deck above, there was a loud  _ THUMP. _ Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a foul-smelling, steaming, five-gallon plastic bucket. Annabeth had a black sticky substance in her hair, the same substance that covered Percy’s shirt.

“Roofing tar?” Piper guessed.

Frank stumbled up behind them, a large smear of the tar down his face.

“Ran into some tar monsters,” Annabeth said. “Hey, Jason, glad you’re awake. Doctor, where’s Leo?”

“Engine room.”

Suddenly, the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled (The Doctor had far too much practice with the TARDIS for this to tip him), Percy nearly spilled his bucket of tar.

“Uh, what was that?” He demanded.

“Oh…” Hazel turned pink with embarrassment. “We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like… _ all  _ of them.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

“It wasn’t  _ my  _ idea.”

“Right.” Annabeth sighed. “Percy can you –”

“Yeah,” Percy nodded, handing the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth, “I’ll go hold off the water spirits as long as I can. You guys help Leo.”

“On it!” Frank promised.

The Doctor followed Frank and Annabeth up to the engine room to help Leo.

It took nearly twenty minutes, but finally, with the help of Leo (and the Sonic, of course), the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned and the ship lifted into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped and the ship became quiet aside from the drone machinery. The Doctor and Leo finally emerged from the engine room, both caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar.

Once everyone had tidied up and had a wash, Coach Hedge took the helm and the rest of them gathered below for dinner. It was the first time all eight of them had all sat down together. The tension was…intense. There were a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead.

“So where to now?” Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. “The Doc and I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there’s still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic.”

Percy, who was eating a piece of blue pie, said, “We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter.”

“I saw some eagles over Salt Lake City,” Frank said, “the Romans can’t be far behind us.”

“I don’t suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans?” Piper suggested. “Maybe – maybe I didn’t try hard enough with the charmspeak.”

Jason took her hand. “It wasn’t your fault, Pipes. Or Leo’s,” he added quickly. “Whatever happened, it was Gaea’s doing, to drive the two camps apart.”

“Maybe if we could explain that, though –” Piper tried.

“They won’t listen.” The Doctor said. “We’ve got no proof.”

“Or any idea what really happened.” Annabeth said. “Until we understand what Gaea’s up to, going back is suicide.”

Hazel nodded. “Reyna might listen, but Octavian won’t. The Romans have honour to think about. They’ll shoot first and ask questions  _ posthac. _ ”

Piper looked down at the table.

“You’re right,” She finally said. “We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry.”

“Nemesis said we’ve got six days before Nico dies and Rome is destroyed.” The Doctor said.

Jason frowned. “You mean  _ Rome  _ Rome, not New Rome?”

The Doctor nodded. “We’ve got to hurry.”

“Why six days?” Percy wondered aloud. “And how are they going to destroy Rome?”

No one had an answer to that.

“There’s more,” Piper said. “I’ve been seeing some things in my knife.”

Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti half-way into his mouth. “Things such as…?”

“They don’t really make sense,” Piper said, “just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins.”

“Ephialtes and Otis?” The Doctor suggested. “They’re the twin sons of Iphimedia and Poseidon. They’re both the bane of Dionysus or Bacchus.”

Piper just shrugged.

Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. At the moment it showed the sitting room in the Big House: a cozy fire on the hearth and Seymour, the stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantle.

“Twins, like in Ella’s prophecy,” Annabeth said. “If we could figure out those lines, it might help.”

_ “Wisdom’s daughter walks alone,”  _ Percy said.  _ “The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. _ Annabeth, that’s got to mean you. Juno told me…well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she’s wrong.”

Annabeth took a deep breath. “Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors – something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along.”

“Nemesis said something similar,” The Doctor said. “She talked of an old score that’s to be settled, the one thing that might bring the gods’ two natures into harmony. ‘An old wrong finally avenged.’”

Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream from his blue pie. “I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?”

“I…uh, I’m not sure,” he said. “I’ll give it some thought.”

The Doctor frowned. Percy narrowed his eyes. “You’re not  _ sure?” _

Jason didn’t respond, his eyes down at the table.

“What about the other lines, then?” The Doctor asked, veering the attention away from Jason.  _ “Twins snuff out the angel’s breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants’ bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail.” _

“Giants’ bane,” Leo said. “Anything that’s a giants’ bane is good for us, right? That’s probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that’s good.”

“We can’t kill the giants without the help of the gods.” Percy nodded.

Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. “I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god’s help, just the two of you.”

“Alcyoneus was a special case,” Frank said. “He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn – Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill  _ all  _ the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but…” He shrugged. “Percy’s right, we’ll need the gods.”

There was a long pause.

“So…” Leo pushed his chair away from the table. “First thing’s first, I guess. We’ll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs.”

“Someplace close to a city,” Annabeth suggested. “In case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?”

No one spoke for a moment.

“Well,” Piper said thoughtfully. “How do you guys feel about Kansas?”

The Doctor sat alone in his room. For the first hour after curfew, Coach Hedge walked up and down the passageway, yelling, “Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I’ll smack you back to Long Island!”

He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep.

The Doctor lay on the bed, staring up at the bronze beams on the ceiling. The cabin was cozy and Leo had programmed their quarters to adjust automatically to the occupant’s referred temperature. He had to admit, Leo had done a brilliant job.

A bronze lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing at whatever brightness the Doctor preferred. The sides were perforated with pinholes, so at night glimmering constellations drifted across the walls. It was positively lovely.

He continued to lay there all night, watching the stars.

It wasn’t until the sun came up that the Doctor clambered out of bed. Leo went around and rose the rest of the crew, whilst Coach Hedge stood above deck, yelling, “Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!”

Percy climbed up and exchanged a look with the Doctor. He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. He looked a little brighter than the day before, his mood a little better. This was undoubtedly helped by the fact that he had Annabeth around one arm.

Annabeth looked much better as well. 

“So!” She plucked a bagel from Piper’s hand and took a bite, though Piper didn’t seem all that bothered. “Here we are. What’s the plan?”

“I want to check out the highway,” Piper said. “Find the sign that says Topeka 32.”

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle and the sails lowered themselves. 

“We shouldn’t be far,” he said. “Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?”

“In my knife I saw this man, he had a purple camp shirt and khakis. I – I couldn’t really see his face, since he was wearing this big hat, and it was wreathed in these leafy vines. He was holding this silver goblet full of like, a cure or an antidote or something.”

“Purple shirt?” Jason asked. “Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus.”

“Dionysus,” The Doctor translated for the Greeks.

“If we came all the way to Kansas to see  _ Mr. D –” _ Percy muttered.

“Bacchus isn’t bad,” Jason said. “I don’t like his followers much, but the god himself is okay. I did him a favour once up in the wine country.”

Percy looked appalled. “Whatever, man. Maybe he’s better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn’t Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?”

Frank grunted. He was wearing a blue tracksuit this morning. “The gods haven’t been very good at following  _ that  _ order.” He noted. “Besides, if the gods  _ have  _ gone schizophrenic like Hazel said –”

“And  _ Leo  _ said,” Leo added.

Frank scowled at him. “Then who knows what’s going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there.”

“Sounds dangerous!” Leo agreed cheerfully. “Well…you guys have fun. I’ve got to finish the repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Doctor, could I use the Sonic?”

“Sure.” The Doctor tossed the screwdriver to Leo, who caught it in one hand.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. “I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles.”

“Why a crow?” Leo asked. “Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don’t you just turn into a dragon every time? That’s the coolest.”

Frank put on a sour face. “That’s like asking why you don’t bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it’s hard, and you’d hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn’t easy.”

“Oh.” Leo nodded. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t lift weights.”

“Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr. –”

“Oi.” The Doctor gave both boys a stern look.

“Don’t give us that, you’re not our dad.” Frank rolled his eyes.

The Doctor frowned, but before he could say anything, Hazel quickly said, “I’ll help you, Frank. I can summon Arion and scout around below.”

“Sure,” Frank said, still glaring at Leo and the Doctor. “Yeah, thanks.”

“I’ll come too,” Annabeth suggested. “There’s luck in threes.”

Hazel nodded in agreement and then turned to the Doctor. “Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be karpoi on the loose.”

“Karpoi?” Piper asked.

“Grain spirits.” The Doctor said.

“You don’t want to meet them,” Hazel nodded.

“That leaves the four of us to check on the mile marker,” Percy said. “Me, Jason, Piper, and the Doctor. I’m not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you’re on better terms with him –”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “If we find him, I’ll talk to him. Piper, it’s your vision. You should take the lead.”

“Of course,” Piper said after a moment of hesitation. Despite her upbeat tone, her voice wavered slightly. “Let’s find the highway.”

After trudging along half a mile through hot fields, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba’s Gas ‘n’ Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

“Correct my math,” Percy said, “but doesn’t that mean we have eight miles to walk?”

“Only eight miles?” The Doctor grinned. “Brilliant.”

“No, not brilliant.” Percy grumbled.

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He looked much better today, thanks to the ambrosia and nectar. His colour was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead was nearly gone altogether.

“No cars…” He said. “But I guess we wouldn’t want to hitchhike.”

“No,” Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. “We’ve already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea’s territory.”

“Hmm…” Jason snapped his fingers. “I can call a friend for a ride.”

Percy raised his eyebrows. “Oh, yeah? Me too. Let’s see whose friend gets here first.”

Jason whistled. Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated.

Thunder cracked in the clear sky.

Jason smiled. “Soon.”

“Too late.” Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling towards them. 

“A black pegasus?” Piper asked. “Never seen one like that.”

The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, repeating this action with the Doctor. He then turned his head inquisitive towards Piper and Jason.

“‘Ello Blackjack.” The Doctor grinned.

“Blackjack,” Percy said, “This is Piper and Jason. They’re friends.”

_ “Can we get donuts?”  _ The horse nickered eagerly.

“Uh, maybe later.” Percy answered.

“What does Blackjack want?” Piper asked.

“Donuts.” The Doctor answered for him. “He loves donuts.”

“He can carry all four of us –” Percy offered, when suddenly the air went cold.

About forty five meters away, a miniature cyclone about three stories tall tore across the tops of sunflowers. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse.

“Hey, Tempest,” The Doctor greeted.

“Tempest,” Jason said, giving the horse a massive grin, “Long time, my friend.”

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly.

“Easy, boy,” Percy said. “He’s a friend too.” He gave Jason an impressed look. “Nice ride, Grace.”

Jason shrugged. “I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He’s a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help out.”

Percy and Jason climbed upon their respective steeds, Jason extending a hand to Piper, and Percy to the Doctor.

Blackjack soared above as Tempest ran down below on the road. They passed no cars (a good thing, as they could’ve caused a wreck), and in no time they arrived at the thirty-two mile marker.

Blackjack landed, both horses pawing the asphalt, neither looking pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they’d found their stride.

_ “I don’t see any wine dude.” _ Blackjack pointed out. Percy had briefed him on the flight.

“You’re right,” Percy agreed. “No sign of the wine dude.”

“I beg your pardon?” said a voice from the fields.

Tempest turned so quickly that Piper nearly fell off.

The wheat parted, and a man stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked perhaps thirty, with a slight potbelly.

“Did someone just call me the  _ wine dude?”  _ He asked in a lazy drawl. “It’s Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-gods-Please-Don’t-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus.”

Percy urged Blackjack forwards, though the pegasus didn’t seem all that happy about it.

“You look different,” Percy said. “Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn’t so loud.”

Bacchus squinted. “What in the blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?”

“Uh…what series?” Percy asked in confusion.

“Ceres,” The Doctor corrected, “The Roman goddess of agriculture. You know her as Demeter.”

“Oh.”

“Lord Bacchus,” Jason said, “Do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma.”

Bacchus scratched his stubby chin. “Ah…yes. John Green.”

“Jason Grace.”

“Whatever.”

As it turned out, Bacchus wasn’t all that different from Dionysus.

“Did Ceres send you, then?” The god asked.

“No, Lord Bacchus,” Jason said. “Were you expecting to meet her here?”

Bacchus snorted. “Well, I didn’t come to Kansas to  _ party, _ my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The karpoi are in revolt. Even my grapes aren’t safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war.”

“The plant war,” Percy said. “You’re going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?”

The god narrowed his eyes. “Have we met?”

“At Camp Half-Blood,” Percy said. “I know you as Mr. D – Dionysus.”

“Agh!” Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered into another person – stouter, dumpier, in a leopard-patterned shirt. Then, Bacchus returned to himself. “Stop that!” He demanded. “Stop thinking about me in Greek!”

Percy blinked. “Uh, but –”

“Do you have any idea how  _ hard  _ it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I’m doing or where I’m going! Constantly grumpy!”

“That sounds pretty normal for you.” Percy said.

The god’s nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. “If we know each other from the  _ other  _ camp, it’s a wonder I haven’t already turned you into a dolphin.”

“It was considered.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Lord Bacchus!” Piper cut in quickly, before he actually  _ did  _ turn the boys into dolphins. She slipped off Tempest’s back.

“Piper, careful,” Jason said.

She shot him a glance that told the boys she had everything handled.

“Sorry to trouble you, my lord,” She told the god, “But we actually came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom.”

The god frowned, but the angry purple glow in his eyes faded. 

“You’re well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and –”

“Not about parties,” Piper interrupted. “Although that’s incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you’d help us on our quest.”

She explained about the  _ Argo II _ and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She also explained what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She then described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

“Silver goblet?” The god didn’t sound all that excited. “He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from midair and popped the top of the can.

“You drink Diet Coke,” Percy said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bacchus snapped. “As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know.”

“You can fight?” Percy asked incredulously.

Dionysus snarled, his Diet Pepsi transformed into a staff a little over a meter high, wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

“A thyrsus,” The Doctor said, trying to sound impressed enough to distract Bacchus before he whacked Percy. “Lovely tool, you’ve got there.”

“Indeed,” Bacchus agreed. “The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter.”

Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though nearly lost his balance. “Of course that was long before I invented wine and became immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod…Harry Cleese, I think.”

“Heracles?” The Doctor suggested.

“Whatever,” Bacchus said. “Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!”

“Those are the twins.” The Doctor nodded.  _ “Twins snuff out the angel’s breath.” _

“That’s why we’re here,” Piper told him. “You’re part of our quest!”

Bacchus frowned. “I’m sorry, my girl. I’m not a demigod anymore. I don’t  _ do  _ quests.”

“But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together,” Piper insisted. “You’re a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think…I think they’re waiting for us in Rome. They’re going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision – maybe it’s meant as a symbol for your help. You  _ have  _ to help us kill the giants!”

Bacchus glared at her.

“My girl,” he said coldly. “I don’t  _ have  _ to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries.”

“What kind of tribute?” The Doctor asked.

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing  _ you  _ could handle. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have  _ some  _ manners. Seek out Gaea’s son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn’t have much use for his siblings, the twins, either. You’ll find him in the city they named after that heroine Atalanta.”

“Atlanta?” Piper said.

“That’s the one?”

“But this Phorcys,” Jason said. “Is he a giant? A Titan?”

“He’s a god, isn’t he?” The Doctor asked Bacchus. “He’s the god of the hidden dangers of the deep.”

Bacchus smirked, “Seek out the salt water, boy.”

“Salt water…” Percy said. “In Atlanta?”

“Yes,” Bacchus said. “Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it’s Phorcys. Just watch out for him.”

“What do you mean?” Jason asked.

The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed to high noon. “It’s unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or…”

His face suddenly went slack. “Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I’d do the same!”

“Lord Bacchus, wait!” Jason protested.

But the god shimmered and disappeared with a pop.

The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation.

“Bacchus is right,” Piper said. “We need to leave –”

_ Too late,  _ said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground.

Percy and Jason drew their swords. The sunflowers turned to look at them. The wheat bent towards them.

_ Welcome to my party,  _ Gaea murmured.  _ What did Bacchus say?  _ She mocked.  _ A simple, lowkey affair with organic snacks? Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you. _

“Gaea!” Jason yelled. “Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!”

_ Such bravado,  _ Gaea hissed.  _ But the other one, Percy Jackson also has appeal. It’s a pity the Doctor is no demigod, though his blood may have his uses too. Choose, Piper McLean, or I will. _

Piper looked desperately between the boys, “You’re insane!” She shouted. “I’m not choosing anything for you!”

The Doctor suddenly felt a presence slam into his mind.

He clutched his head, crumpling to the ground.

“Doctor?” He could hear Piper running to his side, but he was much too preoccupied trying to keep this forign force from his mind to answer.

“Jason!” Piper then shouted in shock.

_ “One will die,”  _ A deep, hollow voice said. The Doctor managed to look up, only to see Percy with a deadly calm expression and eyes that burnt a golden colour.

_ “I will choose,”  _ Jason answered in the same hollow voice.

“No!” Piper yelled.

All around them, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea’s voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.


	8. The Eidolons

The Doctor could hear the clashing of swords somewhere in the distance. He could feel the force pushing harder and harder on his mental walls. But it wasn’t Gaea, it wasn’t Gaea’s frustration that burned through.

Both Tempest and Blackjack were shouting in protest.

Piper was yelling, “Stop it!”

Swords clashed again.

“Percy!” Piper yelled. “Jason’s your friend. Drop your weapon!”

But Jason roared, and there was the sound of Percy crying out and slamming into the ground.

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the distance.

“No!” Piper screamed. “Jason stop!”

There was a beat of silence.

_ “I cannot stop.”  _ The hollow voice said.  _ “One must die.” _

“Who are you?” Piper demanded.

_ “We are the eidolons. We will live again.” _

“Eidolons…?” Piper said. “You’re – you’re some sort of ghost?”

_ “He must die.” _

There was the sound of crashing, and then a sickening,  _ conk. _

“Stop it!” Piper screamed. Then, “Eidolon, stop.”

There was silence.

“Face me,” Piper ordered.

_ “You have not chosen,”  _ The eidolon said.  _ “So this one will die.” _

“You’re a spirit from the Underworld,” Piper guessed. “You’re possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?”

_ “I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish.” _

“Leo…” The Doctor murmured. “You were the ones possessing Leo.”

The eidolon laughed humorlessly.  _ “Too late you realize. You can trust no one.” _

There was a rustling somewhere.

“Ignore it!” Piper yelped. “Look at me.”

_ “You cannot stop me.”  _ The eidolon said.  _ “I will kill Jason Grace.” _

“You won’t kill him,” Piper ordered. “You will knock him out.”

_ “I…will knock him out?”  _ The eidolon said, confused.

“Oh, sorry.” The Doctor could hear the smile in Piper’s voice. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

There was a  _ crack _ and then a  _ thump. _

“Oh, gods!” Piper cried. “Blackjack, you didn’t  _ kill  _ him, did you?”

_ “Oh, please.”  _ Blackjack snorted.  _ “I know what I’m doing.” _

“Be nice.” The Doctor groaned.

“Doctor!” Piper ran to his side. “Are you?”

The Doctor cried out, clutching his hands to his head. Now that neither Percy nor Jason were possessed anymore, the force trying to invade his own head had tripled.

For a horrific moment, the Doctor looked up at Piper, except he didn’t. His body was moving of someone else’s volition.

Piper let out a cry, and the last thing the Doctor saw was Piper’s hand slamming into his head. His body crumpled to the ground and everything went dark.

The Doctor groaned as he sat up.

“Doctor!” Piper was next to him, grinning. “You’re awake! Percy and Jason woke up ten minutes ago.”

“You hit me!” He realized.

“You were possessed!” Piper said defensively.

“That  _ hurt!”  _

“Yeah, you were possessed.” Piper said.

“Bloody hell.” 

“Hey, Doctor, nice to see you’re up.” Annabeth said, “We’re meeting up in the mess hall now if you feel well enough.”

The Doctor jumped up, grinning. “Brilliant.” He bounded for the steps.

“He hit his head?” Annabeth asked Piper.

“How’d you guess.” Piper smirked.

“Oi, no need to be rude.” The Doctor said before disappearing above deck. 

Despite his happy demeanor, something felt wrong. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, but there was something so very very  _ wrong. _

Coach Hedge took the helm and the rest of them gathered around the table in the dining hall. Piper explained what had happened at Topeka 32 – their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed Percy, Jason, and the Doctor.

“That’s what must’ve happened to Leo.” The Doctor said.

“But how come you could resist, for a while at least?” Frank asked.

“Superior Time Lord Physiology.” The Doctor explained proudly. “My brain’s much more complex than you silly apes. Not to mention, I’m slightly psychic. My mental barriers are –”

“We get it, your brain’s awesome.” Leo said. “Anyway, this is great – not the getting possesed part, but this means it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That’s a relief!”

“But the Romans don’t know that,” Annabeth said. “And why would they take our word for it?”

“We could contact Reyna,” Jason suggested. “She would believe us.” He turned to Piper. “You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could.”

“I could try,” Piper said halfheartedly. “But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I’m not sure Reyna can stop him.”

Jason’s expression darkened.

“Octavian’s…persuasive.” The Doctor admitted. “The Romans will be much more willing to believe him than us.”

“We saw eagles when we were scouting this afternoon.” Frank reported, “They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath.”

Hazel grimaced. “This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He’ll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he’ll say she’s soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles…It’s like they could smell us.”

“They can,” Jason said. “Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely – not from them.”

Leo drummed his fingers. “Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time.”

Hazel frowned. “What is a chicken nugget?”

“Oh, man…” Leo shook his head in amazement. “That’s right. You’ve missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget –”

“Doesn’t matter,” Annabeth interrupted. “The point is, we’ll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us –”

“You’re right.” Jason leaned forwards. “We should just keep going. Once we’re over the Atlantic, we’ll be safe – at least from the legion.”

“How can you be sure?” Piper asked. “Why wouldn’t they follow us?”

Jason shook his head. “You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They’re much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn’t get around that rule.”

Frank swallowed a bit of his burrito. “So, if  _ we  _ go there…”

“We’ll be outlaws as well as traitors,” Jason confirmed. “Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn’t worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they’ll give up on chasing us. They’ll assume that we’ll die in the Mediterranea – the Mare Nostrum.”

Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. “You, sir, are a ray of sunshine.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” The Doctor said, “I’ve been an outlaw from the Romans for about a hundred years, and they still let me in. Well, I say  _ let  _ me, in –”

“Let’s plan ahead.” Percy said, smiling weakly at the Doctor. “And make sure we  _ don’t  _ die. Mr. D – Bacchus – Ugh, do I have to call him Mr.  _ B  _ now? Anyway, he mentioned the twin giants. Otis and, uh –”

“Ephialtes.” The Doctor nodded.

Annabeth sighed. “They were the ones who tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains.”

Frank nearly choked. “Well, that’s great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?”

“Yep,” The Doctor said.

“I don’t think we should count on his help this time.” Percy said. “He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn’t handle.”

Silence fell around the table. Above deck, the Doctor could hear Coach Hedge singing  _ ‘Blow the Man Down,’ _ except he didn’t know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, “Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum.”

“She wants two of us,” Piper murmured.

Everyone turned to look at her.

“Today on the highway,” She said nervously, “Gaea said that she needed the blood of only two demigods – one female, one male – oh, and the Doctor’s. She didn’t say she needed it, but she said it would ‘have it’s uses.’” She took a breath. “She – she asked me to choose which boy would die.”

Jason squeezed her hand. “But neither of us died. You saved us.”

“I know. It’s just…Why would she want that?”

Leo whistled softly. “Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason’s blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power.”

“Percy,” The Doctor suddenly realized.

Percy’s eyes widened in realization.

“Doctor? Percy?” Annabeth asked, gripping Percy’s arm.

“Oh, bad,” Percy muttered. “Bad. Bad.” He looked up at Frank and Hazel. “You guys remember Polybotes?”

“The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter,” Hazel said. “The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember.”

“I had a dream,” Percy said, “When we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said – he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: ‘I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!’”

“I think the giants want to use your blood to wake Gaea.” The Doctor summed up.

“I suggest that until we know for sure, we all try to avoid getting captured.” Percy said.

Jason grunted.  _ “That  _ I agree with.”

“But how do we figure it all out?” Hazel asked. “The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella’s prophecy…how does it all fit together?” 

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. “Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta.”

“Right,” Piper said. “Bacchus told us we should seek out…what was his name?”

“Phorcys,” The Doctor said.

“He’s an old sea god.” Percy nodded. “Not sure what he’d be doing in Atlanta, though.”

Leo snorted. “What’s a wine god doing in Kansas? The gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something  _ else  _ goes wrong.”

“Don’t even say that,” Annabeth muttered. “It’s getting late. We should all get some sleep.”

“Wait,” Piper said suddenly.

All eyes turned to her.

“There’s one last thing,” She said. “The eidolons – the possessing spirits. They’re still here, in this room.”

The room went silent and cold.

Finally, Hazel exhaled. “Piper is right.”

“How can you be sure?” Annabeth asked.

“I’ve met eidolons,” Hazel said. “In the Underworld, when I was…you know.”

“So…” Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair. “You think these things are lurking on the ship, or –”

“Possibly lurking inside some of us,” Piper said. “We don’t know.”

Jason clenched his fist. “If that’s true –”

“We have to take steps,” Piper said. “I think I can do this.”

“Do what?” Percy asked.

“Just listen, okay?” Piper took a deep breath. “Everybody listen.”

Piper met their eyes, one person at a time.

“Eidolons,” she said, “raise your hands.”

There was a tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. “Did you really think that was going to –”

His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand.

Jason and Percy did the same.

The Doctor could feel his own rising into the air.

That’s what it was. That was that wrong feeling that had been in him since waking up. There was another presence in his mind. He needed it  _ out. _

“Oh, gods.” Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. “Can you cure them?”

She didn’t answer, focusing on Leo. “Are there more of you on this ship?” She asked.

_ “No,”  _ The hollow voice came from Leo’s lips.  _ “The Earth Mother sent four. The strongest, the best. We will live again.” _

“Not here, you won’t,” Piper growled. “All four of you, listen carefully.”

The Doctor could feel his body turning towards her. He could feel his mind panicking. It felt too much like Midnight. He couldn’t do this again. He had to make it stop.

“You will leave those bodies,” She commanded.

_ “No.”  _ The Doctor could feel the words being forced from his lips, yet they wavered slightly.

_ “We must live.”  _ The hollow voice in Leo said.

Frank fumbled for his bow. “Mars Almighty, that’s creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!”

Leo turned towards him.  _ “You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment.” _

Frank staggered as though punched. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. “I – I’ve faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight –”

Jason drew his sword.

“No!” The Doctor managed to force the words from his lips.

“Doctor?” Piper asked. The whole room was staring at him.

“Doctor, your eyes just flickered back to normal for a moment, can you break through?”

The Doctor’s eyes shut, his hands clenching as he fought back against the ever-increasing spirits.

“He’s fighting, we need to help him!” Annabeth insisted.

“Put the sword down.” Hazel pointed at Jason’s sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.

Percy growled.  _ “Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead.” _

Annabeth reached towards him as if to restrain him, but Hazel waved her off.

“Listen, eidolons,” Hazel said sternly, “You do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her.”

She turned towards Piper, her expression clear:  _ Try again. You can do this. _

Piper took a deep breath and looked directly at the Doctor. “You will leave these bodies,” She repeated, even more forcefully.

The Doctor could feel his muscles tighten.  _ “We – we will leave these bodies.”  _ The words pushed past his lips.

“You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship,” Piper continued, “and never to possess any member of this crew.”

Leo, Percy, and Jason all hissed in protest.

“You will promise on the River Styx,” Piper insisted.

A moment of tension – of resistance – and then all four eidolons spoke in unison:  _ “We promise on the River Styx.” _

“You are dead,” Piper said.

_ “We are dead,”  _ they agreed.

“Now, leave.”

The Doctor, Percy, Jason, and Leo all slumped forwards.

“Percy!” Annabeth grabbed the boy just before he landed face-first into his pizza.

Piper caught the Doctor, whilst Hazel caught Jason as he slipped out of his chair.

Leo wasn’t so lucky. He fell towards Frank, who made no attempt to intercept him. Leo hit the floor.

“Ow!” He groaned.

“Are you all right?”

Leo pulled himself up. He had a spaghetto stuck to his forehead. “Did it work?”

“It worked.” The Doctor mumbled. “Piper, you were brilliant.”

Piper blushed. “I don’t think they’ll be back.”

“No, I expect not.”

Jason blinked. “Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?”

Piper laughed. “I certainly hope so.”

The Doctor found Piper sitting alone on the deck, staring at the land down below.

He stood next to her in silence for a long while.

“Jason could’ve killed Percy.”

“But he didn’t. You saved him.” The Doctor pointed out.

“I almost  _ let  _ him.” Piper said. “When Gaea said I had to choose, I hesitated and…”

She blinked, tears sliding down her cheeks.

“You saved them, Piper. You saved  _ me. _ ”

“But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl –”

“They won’t.” The Doctor promised. “I won’t let that happen, Piper. Promise.”

Piper smiled, though her eyes were sad, mournful almost.

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, spaghetto is the singular version of spaghetti, don't @ me.


	9. The Twin Giants

That night, the Doctor could hear Percy’s mind calling out. It was late, and Coach Hedge was still milling about, but the Doctor managed to slip out silently and sneak into Percy’s room. Percy was laying on his bed, stirring unrestfully.

When he dove into the boy’s dreams, he was suddenly next to Percy in Alaska, hiking along a mountain road, but Percy suddenly stepped off the shoulder and was swallowed by the muskeg.

Somehow, the Doctor could see Percy beneath the bog, choking in the mud, unable to move, see, or breathe. The Doctor grabbed Percy’s hand – he knew he couldn’t pull the boy from the mud, but the touch seemed to remind Percy that it  _ was  _ a dream. That the Doctor was there. That he wasn’t alone.

“Doctor?” Percy’s voice seemed to echo around the dream.

“‘Ello, Percy.”

“You’re here? Like, really?”

“Heard you from my room,” The Doctor admitted, “Your silly little human brain is so noisy.”

There was the sound of laughter despite Percy’s situation.

“You just need to stay calm, Percy.” The Doctor said. “It’s not real. It’s just a dream.”

“I know. I know.” Percy insisted. “I just – I’m not afraid of water or anything, but the suffocation…First here and then when you saved me in the water…”

“Suffocation,” The Doctor realized. “You’re afraid of suffocation.”

“It’s stupid,” Percy said, “I can breathe underwater –”

“It’s not stupid,” The Doctor insisted, “It’s normal, it’s human.”

“Bloody humans,” Percy mocked, and the Doctor could hear the smirk in his voice.

“You humans are brilliant,” The Doctor grinned, “Why do you think I stick around with you lot?”

Before Percy could respond, the dream changed.

They were standing in a vast gloomy space with rows of stone pillars marching off in every direction, holding up the ceiling about six meters above. Freestanding braziers cast a dim red glow over the floor.

Even the Doctor couldn’t see all that far in the dark shadows, but hanging from the ceiling were pulley systems, sandbags, and rows of dark theatre lights. Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, AND COSTUMES. One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS.

The sound of machinery creaked in the darkness, massive gears turning and water rushing through the pipes.

Then, the Doctor saw the giant. He was three meters tall – a respectable height for a Cyclops, though only half as tall as most of the other giants. He also looked much more human than the traditional giant, without the dragon-like legs of his larger kin. Nevertheless, his long purple hair was braided in a ponytail of dreadlocks, woven with gold and silver coins. He also had a massive spear that was strapped to his back.

He wore a massive black turtleneck with black trousers and black leather shoes with long, curly points. He paced back and forth before a raised platform, examining a bronze jar about the size of the Doctor in this form.

“No, no, no,” the giant muttered to himself. “Where’s the splash? Where’s the value?” He yelled into the darkness, “Otis!”

There was the sound of shuffling and another giant appeared out from the gloom. He was wearing the exact same outfit, and the only difference between the two giants was that Otis’s hair was green rather than purple.

The first giant, presumably, Ephialtes, cursed. “Otis, why do you do this to me  _ every day?  _ I told you  _ I  _ was wearing the black turtleneck today. You could wear anything  _ but  _ the black turtleneck!”

Otis blinked dumbly. “I thought you were wearing the yellow toga today.”

“That was yesterday! When  _ you  _ showed up in the yellow toga!”

“Oh. Right. Sorry, Ephie.”

His brother snarled. “And don’t call me Ephie,” Ephialtes demanded. “Call me _ Ephialtes.  _ That’s my name. Or you can use my stage name: The BIG F!”

Otic grimaced. “I’m still not sure about that stage name.”

“Nonsense! It’s perfect. Now, how are the preparations coming along?”

“Fine.” Otis didn’t sound all that enthusiastic. “The man-eating tigers, the spinning blades…But I still think a few ballerinas would be nice.”

“No ballerinas!” Ephialtes snapped. “And  _ this  _ thing.” He waved at the bronze jar in disgust. “What does it do? It’s not exciting.”

“But that’s the whole point of the show. He dies unless the others rescue him. And if they arrive on schedule –”

“Oh, they’d better!” Ephialtes said. “July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno. That’s when Mother wants to destroy those stupid demigods and  _ really  _ rub it in Juno’s face. Besides, I’m not paying overtime for those gladiator ghosts!”

“Well, then, they all die,” Otis said, “and we start the destruction of Rome. Just like Mother wants. It’ll be perfect. The crowd will love it. Roman ghosts adore this sort of thing.”

Ephialtes looked unconvinced. “But the jar just  _ stands  _ there. Couldn’t we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or something?”

“We need him alive for a few more days,” Otis reminded his brother. “Otherwise, the seven won’t take the bait and rush to save him.”

“Hmm. I suppose. I’d still like a little more screaming. This slow death is boring. Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?”

Otis made a sour face. “I  _ really  _ don’t like talking to her. She makes me nervous.”

“But is she ready?”

“Yes,” Otis said reluctantly. “She’s been ready for centuries. No one will be removing  _ that  _ statue.”

“Excellent.” Ephialtes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “This is our big chance, my brother.”

“That’s what you said about our last stunt,” Otis mumbled. “I was hanging in the block of ice suspended over the River Lethe for six months, and we didn’t even get any media attention.”

“This is different!” Ephialtes insisted. “We will set a new standard for entertainment! If Mother is pleased, we can write our own ticket to fame and fortune!”

“If you say so,” Otis sighed. “Though I still think those ballerina costumes from  _ Swan Lake  _ would look lovely –”

“No ballet!”

“Sorry.”

“Come,” Ephialtes said. “Let’s examine the tigers. I want to be sure they are hungry!”

“The giants lumbered off into the gloom, and the Doctor approached the jar, Percy right behind him. 

They both passed directly through. The air of the jar smelled stale and the only light came from the im purple glow of a dark sword, its Stygian iron blade set against one side of the container. Huddled next to it was a dejected-looking boy in tattered jeans, a black shirt, and an old aviator jacket. On his right hand, a silver skull ring glittered.

“Nico,” Percy called from the Doctor’s side, but the boy couldn’t hear.

The container was completely sealed. The air was turning poisonous. Nico’s eyes were closed, his breathing shallow. He appeared to be mediating. His face was pale and thinner than the last time the Doctor had seen him.

On the inner wall of the jar, it looked as though Nico had scratched three hash marks with his sword – three days since he’d been imprisoned, perhaps?

He glanced at Nico’s feet – a small collection of glistening objects. Pomegranate seeds. Three had been eaten and spit out. Five were still encased in dark red pulp.

“Doctor,” Percy said, “where is this place? We need to save him –”

The image faded, and a girl’s voice whispered: “Percy? Doctor?”

The Doctor pulled out of the dream. He and Percy looked up. The Doctor had been sitting on the floor, Percy on his bed.

“You guys okay?” Annabeth asked.

Percy looked up at her. “Nightmares.”

Annabeth nodded sympathetically.

“Um…Percy, I was wondering if I could show you something…”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Percy said quickly, “Sorry, Doctor, do you mind…?”

“Course,” The Doctor smiled, getting up from the floor.

“Did you both sneak into my cabin?” Percy frowned.

“Percy, you’ll be seventeen in two months.” Annabeth said. “You can't seriously be worried about getting into trouble with Coach Hedge.”

“Uh,” Percy was saying as the Doctor slipped out of his room, “Have you seen his baseball bat?”

When the morning came, the Doctor found everyone rushing about the ship in a panic.

“We can’t find Annabeth and Percy!” Piper cried.

After assuring them that they were probably hiding out somewhere after last night, the crew calmed down slightly.

Finally, Frank called out, “I found them!”

They met up in the dining hall.

“Sorry,” Annabeth said hurriedly, “We just went down to the cargo hold to talk and we fell asleep.”

Leo grinned, nodding his head and muttering, “Classic. Classic.”

Jason, Piper, and Frank seemed mostly relieved. Only Hazel appeared scandalized, mostly because she was from the 1940s. She kept fanning her face and wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

Naturally, Coach Hedge went mad.

“Never in my life!” The satyr bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. “Against the rules! Irresponsible!”

“Coach,” Annabeth said, “It was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep.”

“Besides,” Percy said, “You’re starting to sound like Terminus.”

Coach Hedge narrowed his eyes. “Is that an insult, Jackson? ‘Cause I’ll – I’ll terminus you, buddy!”

Percy was clearly trying not to laugh. “It won’t happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don’t we have other things to discuss?”

Coach Hedge fumed. “Fine! But I’m watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense –”

Jason cleared his throat. “So grab some breakfast, everybody. Let’s get started.”

Percy told the group about the dream he’d had. When he got to the pomegranate seeds at Nico’s feet, Hazel choked back a sob.

“Nico…Oh, gods. The seeds.”

“You know what they are?” Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. “He showed them to me once. They’re from our stepmother’s garden.”

“Your step…oh,” Percy said. “You mean Persephone.”

“The seeds are a last-resort food,” Hazel explained nervously. “Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he’s really imprisoned –”

“The giants are using him as bait to lure us.” The Doctor said. “They’re assuming we’ll try to rescue him. And they’re right.”

“How long do we have before…” Frank said. “Uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?”

“One seed a day,” Hazel said miserably. “That’s if he puts himself in a death trance.”

“A death trance?” Annabeth scowled. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

“It’s like a healing coma, yeah?” The Doctor asked, “He’ll consume less air and require less sustenance.”

Hazel nodded. “Um, I don’t really know what a healing coma is, but one seed can sustain him one day, barely.”

“And he has five seeds left,” Percy said. “That’s five days including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we’d have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome –”

“That’s not much time,” Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. ‘Twins snuff out the angel’s breath, who holds the key to endless death.’ Your brother’s last name: di Angelo.  _ Angelo  _ is Italian for ‘angel.’”

“Oh, gods,” Hazel muttered. “Nico…”

“We’ll save him,” The Doctor promised.

“Yeah, we  _ have  _ to.” Percy nodded. “The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death.”

“That’s right,” Piper said encouragingly. “Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must’ve found them.”

“He can tell us where the doors are,” Percy said, “And how to close them.”

Hazel took a deep breath. “Yes. Good.”

“Uh…” Leo shifted in his chair. “One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we’re walking into a trap?”

Hazel looked at Leo incredulously. “We have no choice!”

“Don’t get me wrong, Hazel. It’s just your brother, Nico…he knew about both camps, right?”

“Well, yes,” Hazel said.”

“He’s been going back and forth,” Leo said, “And he didn’t tell either side.”

“It would have started a war if he had.” The Doctor pointed out.

Jason sat forwards, his expression was grim. “You’re wondering if we can trust this guy.” He said. “So am I.”

Hazel shot to her feet. “I don’t believe this. He’s my  _ brother.  _ He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don’t want to help him.?”

Frank put his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody’s saying that.” He glared at Leo. “Nobody had  _ better  _ be saying that.”

Leo blinked. “Look, guys. All I mean is –”

“Hazel,” Jason said. “Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as…well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful.”

“I trust him.” The Doctor said coldly. “And even if I didn’t. We can't just leave him there. We  _ have  _ to save him. And if you won’t do it, I’ll go myself.”

“Look, Doctor,” Jason said, but before he could continue, a silver platter zoomed towards Hazel and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs.

“You…the  _ great _ Jason Grace…the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you…” Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the dining hall.

The Doctor tried to chase after her, but she shot out a hand to stop him. “Look, just leave me alone.” She ran further into the ship, and the Doctor returned to the others.

“Let her cool down first,” Piper said gently. “Trust me on this. I’ll go check on her in a few minutes.”

From above came a whirring sound like a large drill.

“That’s Festus,” Leo said. “I’ve got him on autopilot, but we must be nearing Atlanta. I’ll have to get up there…uh, assuming we know where to land.”

All eyes turned to Percy.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “You’re Captain Salt Water. Any ideas from the expert?”

His voice had a layer of resentment on it.

“I’m not sure,” Percy said, clearly hearing the resentment too. “Somewhere central, high up so we can get a good view of the city. Maybe a park with some woods? We don’t want to land a warship in the middle of downtown. I doubt even the Mist could cover up something that huge.”

Leo nodded. “On it.” He raced for the stairs.

Frank settled back in his chair uneasily. 

“When we land, I’ll scout around in Atlanta,” Percy said. “Frank, I could use your help.”

“You mean turn into a dragon again? Honestly, Percy, I don’t want to spend the whole quest being everyone’s flying taxi.”

“No,” Percy said. “I want you with me because you’ve got the blood of Poseidon. Maybe you can help me figure out where to find salt water. Besides, you’re good in a fight.”

That seemed to cheer Frank up a bit. “Sure. I guess.”

“Great, Percy said. “We should take one more. Annabeth –”

“Oh, no!” Cach Hedge barked. “Young lady, you are  _ grounded. _ ”

Annabeth stared at him as though he had two heads. “Excuse me?”

“You and Jackson are not going  _ anywhere  _ together!” He insisted.

“I can go.” The Doctor offered.

“Then I’m coming too!” Coach Hedge said. “Don’t think it escaped me that you snuck into Jackson’s room too to ‘interpret his dreams’ or whatever silly excuses you use!” He turned back to the others. “The rest of you guard the ship and make sure Annabeth doesn’t break any more rules!”

“This,” Percy sighed sarcastically, “Is going to be  _ so  _ much fun.”


	10. The Dangers of the Deep

They landed near the summit of a forested hill. A complex of white buildings were nestled in a grove of pines to the left. Below them spread the city of Atlanta – a cluster of brown and silver downtown skyscrapers two miles away, rising from what looked to be an endless flat sprawl of highways, railroad tracks, houses, and green swaths of forest.

“Ah, lovely spot.” Coach Hedge inhaled the morning air. “Good choice, Valdez.”

Leo shrugged. “I just picked a tall hill. That’s a presidential library or something over there. At least, that’s what Festus says.”

“It’s the Carter Center.” The Doctor said thoughtfully. “This is Leggett’s Hill.”

“Do you realize what happened on this hill?” Coach Hedge barked. “Frank Zhang, you should know!”

Frank flinched. “I should?”

“A son of Ares stood here!” Coach Hedge cried indignantly.

“I’m Roman…so Mars, actually.”

“Whatever! Famous spot in the American Civil War!”

“I’m Canadian, actually.”

“General Sherman stood here.” The Doctor said disgustedly. “He was a Union leader. He watched the city burn. He cut a path of destruction from here to the sea, burning, looting, pillaging –”

“Now  _ there  _ was a demigod.” Coach Hedge said in approval.

Frank inched away from the Doctor, who was glaring at the satyr, and Coach Hedge, who was grinning madly.

“Uh, okay.”

“Anyway,” Percy said uncomfortably, “Let’s try not to burn down the city this time.”

Coach Hedge looked disappointed. “All right. But where to?”

Percy pointed towards downtown. “When in doubt, start in the middle.”

As it turned out, catching a ride was much easier than any of them had thought. The Doctor, Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge headed towards the Carter Center, where they asked the staff if they could call a cab or give them directions to the nearest bus stop. But one of the librarians, Esther, insisted on driving them personally. She was quite polite about it, though the Doctor, Percy, and Frank were somewhat suspicious that she may be a monster. But Coach Hedge insisted she smelled human with “A hint of potpourri, cloves, and rose petals.”

So the four of them piled into Esther’s large black Cadillac and drove towards downtown. Esther was so small she could barely see over the steering wheel, but this didn’t seem to bother her. She muscled her car through traffic whilst reeling them with stories about mad families of Atlanta – the old plantation owners, the founders of Coca-Cola, the sports stars, and the CNN newscasters.

“Uh, so, Esther,” Percy said, “Here’s a hard question for you. Salt water in Atlanta. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?”

Esther chucked. “Oh, sugar. That’s easy. Whale sharks!”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Whale sharks?”

“At the aquarium, sugar,” Esther said. “Very famous! Right downtown. Is that where you wanted to go?”

“Yes,” Percy said confidently. “That’s where we’re going.”

Esther dropped them at the main entrance, where a queue was already forming. She insisted on giving them her mobile number for emergencies, money for a cab ride back to the Carter Center, and a jar of homemade peach preserves, which she kept in a box in her boot for some reason. Frank stuck the jar in his rucksack and thanked Esther, who had already switched from calling him ‘sugar’ to ‘son.’

As she drove away, Frank said, “Are all people in Atlanta that nice?”

Coach Hedge grunted. “Hope not. I can’t fight them if they’re nice. Let’s go beat up some whale sharks. They sound dangerous!”

Percy looked at the queue, and frowned. “Doctor, could you get us through the staff entrance?”

The Doctor shook his head. “Nope, Leo’s still got the Sonic.”

Percy cursed under his breath. “I guess we’ll just have to wait. Anybody have money?”

Frank checked his pockets. “Four denarii from Camp Jupiter. Five dollars Canadian.”

Coach Hedge patted his gym shorts and pulled out what he found. “Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band, and – score! A piece of celery.”

He began munching on the celery, eyeing the change and rubber band as though they may be next.

The Doctor began to empty his pockets. A box of drawing pins, a roll of gaffa tape, some thin silver wire, an old bag of jelly babies, an honorary membership of the Alpha Centauran Table Tennis Club, etheric beam locator, a several Earl Grey tea bags, a collection of coins from various planets, the heating element from an electric kettle –

Frank’s eyes were wide as dinner plates. “How does all that fit…”

The Doctor grinned. “Bigger on the inside.”

It was then that a woman in a blue and green Georgia Aquarium shirt came up to them, smiling brightly.

“Ah, VIP visitors!” She had perky dimpled cheeks, thick-framed spectacles, braces, and frizzy black hair pulled to the sides in pigtails, giving the twenty-something year old the appearance of a young schoolgirl. Along with her Georgia Aquarium polo shirt, she wore dark trousers and black trainers. She bounced on the balls of her feet like she simply couldn’t contain her energy. Her name tag read: KATE.

“You have your payment, I see,” She said. “Excellent!”

“What?” Percy asked.

Kate scooped the four denarii from Frank’s hand. “Yes, that’s fine. Right this way!”

She spun and trotted off towards the main entrance.

Percy looked at the Doctor, Coach Hedge, and Frank. “A trap?”

“Most definitely.” The Doctor said.

“She’s not mortal,” Hedge said, sniffing the air. “Probably some sort of goat-eating, demigod-destroying fiend from Tartarus.”

“No doubt,” Percy agreed.

“Awesome.” Coach Hedge grinned. “Let’s go.”

Kate got them past the ticket queue and into the aquarium without issue.

“Right this way.” Kate grinned at Percy. “It’s a  _ wonderful  _ exhibit. You won’t be disappointed. So rare we get VIPs.”

“Uh, you mean demigods?” Frank asked.

Kate winked at Frank impishly and put a finger to her mouth. “So over here is the cold-water experience, with your penguins and beluga whales and whatnot. And over there…well, those are some fish, obviously.”

The Doctor tried to reach out to speak with the fish, but they wouldn’t respond. They just floated aimlessly, their minds addled.

Frank pointed to one of the fish. “What kind of fish is this?”

“Oh,” Kate said, “Those are the yellow ones.”

“For an aquarium employee, you don’t seem to know all that much about the fish.” The Doctor pointed out, but Kate pretended not to hear him.

They passed the gift shop, and Frank slowed down to check out a clearance table with clothes and toys.

“Take what you want.” Kate told him.

Frank blinked. “Really?”

“Of course! You’re VIP!”

Frank hesitated, then stuffed some T-shirts into his rucksack.

“Dude,” Percy said, “What are you doing?”

“She said I could,” Frank whispered. “Besides, I need more clothes. I didn’t pack for a long trip!”

He added a snow globe as well, then he picked up a braided cylinder.

He squinted at it. “What is –?”

“Chinese handcuffs,” Percy said.

Frank looked somewhat offended. “How is this Chinese?”

“I don’t know,” Percy said. “That’s just what it’s called. It’s like a gag gift.”

The Doctor shook his head, muttering, “Humans.”

“Come along, boys!” Kate called from across the hall.

“I’ll show you later.” Percy promised.

Frank stuffed the handcuffs in his rucksack, and they kept walking.

They passed through an acrylic tunnel. Fish swam overhead as they emerged into a viewing room awash with blue light. On the other side of a glass wall was a massive aquarium. Cruising in circles were dozens of fish, including two spotted sharks, each twice the size of the Doctor’s current form. They were fat and slow with open toothless mouths.

“Whale sharks,” Coach Hedge growled. “Now we shall battle to the death!”

Kate giggled. “Silly satyr. Whale sharks are peaceful. They only eat plankton.”

How Kate knew Coach Hedge was a satyr, the Doctor wasn’t sure. He was wearing trousers and specially-fitted trainers over his hooves, and his baseball cap covered his horns. Once again, the Doctor tried to reach out to the sharks, but they wouldn’t respond either.

“Peaceful sharks?” The coach said with disgust. “What’s the point of that?”

Frank read the plaque beside the tank. “The only whale sharks in captivity in the world,” he mused. “That’s kind of amazing.”

“Yes, and these are small,” Kate said. “You should see some of my other babies out in the world.”

“Your babies?” The Doctor asked.

Kate smiled, a wicked glint in her eye.

“So, Kate,” Percy said casually. “We’re looking for a guy…I mean, a god named Phorcys. Would you happen to know him?”

Kate snorted.  _ “Know  _ him? He’s my brother. That’s where we’re going, sillies. The  _ real  _ exhibits are right through here.” She gestured to the far wall. The solid black surface rippled, and another tunnel appeared, leading through a luminous purple tank.”

“He’s your brother?” The Doctor asked. “Since I assume you’re not Thaumas, you must be Keto.”

Keto hummed in affirmation and strolled inside the tunnel, the Doctor, Percy, Frank, and Coach Hedge following shortly behind.

As soon as they entered, Coach Hedge whistled. “Now  _ that’s  _ interesting.”

Gliding above them were massive, multicolored jellyfish, each the size of a rubbish bin and with hundreds of tentacles that looked like silky barbed wire. One jellyfish had a paralyzed three-meter-long swordfish tangled in its grasp. The jellyfish slowly wrapped its tendrils increasingly tighter around its prey.

Kate beamed at Coach Hedge. “You see? Forget the whale sharks! And there’s much more!”

“You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself all that much.” Percy murmured to the Doctor, noticing the frown that lined his features.

“Don’t like aquariums all that much.” The Doctor admitted. “Not fun. I was trapped in one for two weeks once.”

Frank stared at him. “What is your life?”

Kate led them into an even larger chamber, lined with more aquariums. On one wall, a glowing red sign proclaimed: DEATH IN THE DEEP SEAS!  _ Sponsored by Monster Donut. _

“Monster Donut?” Percy asked.

“Oh, yes,” Kate said. “One of our corporate sponsors.”

The Doctor and Percy exchanged a look. Their last experience with Monster Donut hadn’t been the most pleasant.

In one aquarium, a dozen hippocampi drifted aimlessly.

“This isn’t right,” Percy muttered. The Doctor could feel his mind reaching out, trying to talk to the hippocampi.

“I noticed it earlier with the fish and whale sharks…” The Doctor murmured. He then turned only to see something even worse. At the bottom of a smaller tank, two Nereids sat cross-legged, facing each other, playing a game of Go Fish. They looked incredibly bored. Their long green hair floated listlessly around their faces. Their eyes were half-closed.

“How can you keep them here?” Percy demanded.

“I know.” Kate sighed. “They aren’t very interesting. We tried to teach them some tricks, but with no luck, I’m afraid. I think you’ll like this tank over here much better.”

The Doctor and Percy both began to protest, but Kate had already moved on.

“Holy mother of ghosts!” Cried Coach Hedge. “Look at these beauties!”

He was gawking at two sea serpents – ten meter long monsters with glowing blue scales and jaws that could’ve bitten a whale shark in two. In another tank, peeking out from its cement cave, was a squid the size of a truck.

A third tank held a dozen humanoid creatures with sleek seal bodies, doglike faces, and human hands. They sat on the sand at the bottom of the tank, building structures from Leogos, though they appeared just as dazed as the Nereids.

“Telkhines…” The Doctor breathed.

“Yes!” Kate said. “The only ones in captivity.”

“But they fought for Kronos in the last war!” Percy said. “They’re dangerous!”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Well, we couldn’t call it ‘Death in the Deep Seas’ if these exhibits weren’t dangerous. Don’t worry. We keep them well sedated.”

_ “Sedated?”  _ The Doctor demanded.

“Is that legal?” Frank asked.

Kate appeared not to have heard and kept walking, pointing out other exhibits.

“And  _ these  _ sea monsters,” Kate narrated, “can grow five hundred feet long in the deep ocean. They have over a thousand teeth. And these? Their favorite food is demigod –”

“Demigod?” Frank yelped.

“But they will eat whales or small boats, too.” Kate turned to Percy and blushed. “Sorry…I’m  _ such  _ a monster nerd! I’m sure you know all this, being the son of Poseidon, and all.”

Percy stared at her.

“Hello!” A new voice suddenly said, booming through the aquarium. A small man scuttled out from the darkness. He walked sideways on bowed legs, much like a crab. His back was hunched and his arms were raised on either side. He was wearing a wetsuit that was several shades of green, and the glittery silver words printed down the side read: PORKY’S FOLLIES. A headset microphone was clamped over his wiry hair. His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn’t look friendly at all.

“Visitors!” He said, the word thundering through the microphone. “Welcome to Pohorcy’s Follies!”

He swept his arms in one direction, as if directing their attention to an explosion. Nothing happened.

“Curse it,” the man grumbled. “Telkhines, that’s your cue! I wave my hands, and you leap energetically in your tank, do a synchronized double spin, and land in pyramid formation. We practiced this!”

The Telkhines paid him no attention.

Coach Hedge leaned towards the crab man and sniffed his glittery wetsuit.  _ “Nice  _ outfit.”

“Thank you!” The man beamed. “I am Phorcys.”

Frank shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Why does your suit say  _ Porky?” _

Phorcys snarled. “Stupid uniform company! They can’t get anything right.”

Keto tapped her name tag. “I told them my name was Keto, and they misspelled it as  _ Kate. _ My brother…well, now he’s Porky.”

“I am not!” Phorcys snapped. “I’m not even a  _ little  _ porky. The name doesn’t work with Follies, either. What kind of show is called Porky’s Follies? But you folks don’t want to hear us complain. Behold, the wondrous majesty of the giant killer squid!”

He gestured dramatically towards the squid tank. This time, fireworks shot off in front of the glass right on cue, sending up geysers of golden sparkles. Music swelled from the loudspeakers. The lights brightened and revealed the wondrous majesty of an empty tank.

The squid had evidently sulked back into its cave.

“Curse it!” Phorcys yelled again. He wheeled on his sister. “Keto, training the squid was  _ your  _ job. Juggling, I said. Maybe a bit of flesh-rending for the finale. Is that too much to ask?”

“He’s shy,” Keto said defensively. “Besides, each of his tentacles has sixty-two razorlike barbs that have to be sharpened daily.” She turned towards the Doctor. “Did you know the monsterous squid is the only beast known to eat demigods whole, armour and all, without getting indigestion? It’s true!”

The Doctor didn’t flinch, glaring her down.

“Keto!” Porky snapped, clicking his fingers to his thumbs like crab claws. “You’ll bore our guests with so much information. Less education, more entertainment! We’ve discussed this.”

“But –”

“No buts! We’re here to present ‘Death in the Deep Seas!’ Sponsored by Monster Donut!”

The last words reverberated through the room with extra echo. Lights flashed. Smoke clouds billowed from the floor, making donut-shaped rings that smelled of pastries.

“Available at the concession stand,” Phorcys advised. “But you’ve spent your hard-earned denarii to get the VIP tour, and so you shall! Come with me!”

“Um, hold it,” Percy said.

Phorcys’s smile melted in an ugly way. “Yes?”

“You’re a son of Gaea, aren’t you?”

Phorcys sighed. “Five thousand years, and I’m still known as Gaea’s little boy. Never mind that I’m one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than  _ your  _ upstart father, by the way. I’m god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no…nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I’m exiled from the ocean – to Atlanta, of all places.”

“We thought the Olympians said  _ Atlantis,”  _ Keto explained. “Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “And you’re a goddess?”

“Of sea monsters.” The Doctor spoke for her.

“Yep!” Keto smiled happily. “Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It’s true!”

Frank clutched his stomach like he was going to be sick.

Coach Hedge whistled. “Six years? That’s fascinating.”

“I know!” Keto beamed.

“And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?” Coach Hedge asked. “I  _ love  _ nature.”

“Oh, well –”

“Stop!” Phorcys demanded. “You’re ruining the show! Now, witness our Nereid gladiators fight to the death!”

A mirrored disco ball descended into the Nereid exhibit, making the water dance with multicoloured light. Two swords fell to the bottom and plunked in the sand. The Nereids ignored them and continued their game.

“Curse it!” Phorcys stomped his legs sideways.

Keto grimaced at Coach Hedge. “Don’t mind Porky. He’s  _ such  _ a windbag. Come with me, my fine satyr. I’ll show you full-colour diagrams of the monsters’ hunting habits.”

Excellent!”

“Wait!” The Doctor attempted to object, but Keto led Coach Hedge away through a maze of aquarium glass, leaving the Doctor, Frank, and Percy with the crabby sea god.

“Oh, it’s fine!” The god assured the Doctor, reading his concerned look. “Keto might be a little boring, but she’ll take good care of your friend. And honestly, the best part of the tour is still to come!”

The Doctor frowned, rubbing his head. Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t getting into his brain per se, but it certainly was creating a sort of fog.

“So…” Percy said unsteadily. “Dionysus sent us here.”

“Bacchus.” Frank corrected.

“Right. The wine god. Whatever.” Percy looked at Phorcys. “Bacchus said you might know what your mom Gaea is up to, and these twin giant brothers of yours – Ephialtes and Otis. And if you happen to know anything about this Mark of Athena –”

“Bacchus thought I would help you?” Phorcys asked.

“Well, yeah,” Percy said. “I mean, you’re Phorcys. Everybody talks about you.”

Phorcys tilted his head so that his mismatched eyes almost lined up. “They do?”

“Of course. Don’t they, Doctor?”

“Right, yes, of course.” The Doctor nodded. “Everybody talks about you.”

“Yeah, all the time.” Frank agreed.

“What do they say?” The god asked.

“That you’re brilliant,” The Doctor said casually, milling about. “You have brilliant pyrotechnics…”

“A great disco ball!” Frank piped up.

“It’s true!” Phorcys clacked his fingers and thumbs excitedly. “I also have the largest collection of captive sea monsters in the world.”

“And you  _ know _ stuff,” Percy added. “Like about the twins and what they’re up to.”

“The twins!” Phorcys made his voice echo. Sparklers blazed to life in front of the sea serpent tank. “Yes, I know all about Ephialtes and Otis. Those wannabes! They never fit in with the other giants. Too puny – and those snakes for feet.”

“Snakes for feet?” Percy asked.

“Yes, yes,” Phorcys said impatiently. “They knew they couldn’t get by on their strength, so they decided to go for drama – illusions, stage tricks, that sort of thing. You see, Gaea  _ shaped  _ her children with specific enemies in mind. Each giant was born to kill a certain god.”

“They’re the bane of Dionysus.” The Doctor murmured, rubbing his head and trying to clear the thick fog.

”So…they want to replace all wine with cranberry juice or something?” Percy asked.

The sea god snorted. “Nothing like that! Ephialtes and Otis always wanted to do things better, flashier, more spectacular! Oh, of course they wanted to kill Dionysus. But first they wanted to humiliate him by making his revelries look tame!”

Frank glanced at the sparklers. “By using stuff like fireworks and disco balls?”

Phorcys’s mouth stretched into a wide smile. “Exactly! I taught the twins everything they know, or at least I tried to. They never listened. Their first big trick? They tried to reach Olympus by piling mountains on top of one another. It was just an illusion, of course. I told them it was ridiculous. ‘You should start small,’ I said. ‘Sawing each other in half, pulling gorgons out of a hat. That sort of thing. And matching sequined outfits. Twins need those!’”

“Brilliant advice, really,” The Doctor assured him. “And now the twins are…?”

“Oh, preparing for their doomsday show in Rome,” Phorcys sneered. “It’s one of Mother’s silly ideas. They’re keeping some prisoner in a large bronze jar.” He turned towards Frank. “You’re a child of Ares, aren’t you? You’ve got that smell. The twins imprisoned your father the same way, once.”

“Child of Mars,” Frank corrected. “Wait…these giants trapped my dad in a bronze jar?”

“Yes, another stupid stunt,” said the sea god. “How can you show off your prisoner if he’s in a bronze jar? No entertainment value. Not like my lovely specimens!”

He gestured to the hippocampi, who were bonking their heads apathetically against the glass.

“And this doomsday show,” The Doctor said, bonking his head with his hand as though that might clear things up a touch, “this is Gaea’s plan, yes?”

“Well…Mother’s plans always have lots of layers.” He laughed. “The earth has layers! I suppose that makes sense!”

“Uh-huh,” Percy said, he sounded as though his brain was also fogged up. “And so her plan…”

“Oh, she’s put out a general bounty on some group of demigods,” Phorcys said. “She doesn’t really care  _ who  _ kills them, as long as they’re killed. Well…I take that back. She was very specific that  _ two  _ must be spared. One boy and one girl. Tartarus only knows why. At any rate, the twins have their little show planned, hoping it will lure these demigods to Rome. I suppose the prisoner in the jar is a friend of theirs or some such. That, or perhaps they think this group of demigods will be foolish enough to come into their territory searching for the Mark of Athena.” Phorcys elbowed Frank in the ribs. “Ha! Good luck with that, eh?”

Frank laughed nervously. “Yeah. Ha-ha. That would be really dumb, uh…”

Phorcys narrowed his eyes.

From the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see Percy’s hand slip into his pocket, undoubtedly clutching Riptide.

The Doctor put a hand over Percy’s sword arm, a signal to keep his bloody sword away.

Phorcys grinned and elbowed Frank again. “Ha! Good one, child of Mars. I suppose you’re right. No point talking about it. Even if the demigods found that map in Charlston, they’d never make it to Rome alive!”

“Yes, the MAP IN CHARLESTON,” Frank said loudly, giving the Doctor and Percy a wide-eyed look to be sure they hadn’t missed the information.

“But enough boring educational stuff!” Phorcys said. “You’ve paid for the VIP treatment. Won’t you  _ please  _ let me finish the tour? The four denarii entrance fee is nonrefundable, you know.”

“Afterward,” Percy said, “Can we ask questions?”

“Of course! I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” Phorcys clapped his hands twice. On the wall under the glowing red sign, a new tunnel appeared, leading into another tank.

“Walk this way!” Phorcys scuttled sideways through the tunnel.

Frank scratched his head. “Do we have to –?” He turned sideways.

“It’s just a figure of speech, man,” Percy said.

The Doctor said, “Allons-y,” though there was no excitement in his words.


	11. VIP

The tunnel ran along the floor of a massive, maybe five thousand gallon tank. Apart from the water and some cheap decorations, it appeared majestically empty.

Phorcys stopped in the middle of the tunnel and spread his arms proudly. “Beautiful exhibit, isn’t it?”

The Doctor looked around. In the corner of the tank, snuggled in a forest of fake kelp, was a massive plastic gingerbread cottage with bubbles coming out of the chimney. In the opposite corner, a plastic sculpture of a man in a diving suit knelt beside a treasure chest, which popped open every few seconds, spewed bubbles, and closed again. Littered across the white sand floor were massive glass marbles and a strange assortment of weapons; tridents, spearguns, etc. Outside, the tank’s display wall was an amphitheatre with seating for several hundred.

“Yes, pretty,” The Doctor said, “Very pretty. May I ask, what do you keep in here?”

“Yeah, do you like, keep giant killer goldfish or something?” Frank asked.

Phorcys raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that would be good! But no, Frank Zhang, descendant of Poseidon. This tank is not for goldfish.”

Frank flinched at  _ descendant of Poseidon.  _ He stepped back, clutching his rucksack like a mace.

“You know Frank’s full name. You know he’s a descendent from Poseidon.” The Doctor said. “You were briefed by Gaea, weren’t you?”

“Well, it wasn’t a brief so much as…some helpful descriptions for the bounty.”

Percy, impulsive as he was, uncapped Riptide and shouted, “Don’t double-cross me, Phorcys. You promised me answers.”

“After the VIP treatment, yes,” Phorcys agreed. “I promised to tell you everything you need to know. The thing is, however, you don’t really need to know anything.” His smile stretched wide. “You see, even if you made it to Rome, which is  _ quite  _ unlikely, you’d never defeat my giant brothers without a god fighting at your side. And what god would help you? So I have a better plan. You’re not leaving. You’re VIPs – Very Important Prisoners!”

Percy lunged. Frank hurled his rucksack at the sea god’s head. Phorcys simply disappeared.

“Yes, good!” The god’s voice reverberated through the aquarium’s sound system, echoing down the tunnel. “Fighting is good! You see, Mother never trusted me with big assignments, but she  _ did  _ agree I could keep anything I caught. You two will make an excellent exhibit – the only demigod spawn of Poseidon in captivity. ‘Demigod Terrors’ – yes, I like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM.”

“You’re crazy!” Frank yelled.

“And what about the Doctor?” Percy asked. “He’s not a son of Poseidon.”

“No, he’s not.” There was immense pleasure in his voice. “He’s something much greater. People will come from far and wide – not just from Earth, no, but from  _ all  _ over the universe! The  _ Last  _ of the Time Lords. The only one – not just in captivity – but in all of time and space!”

Frank frowned, “The last?”

The Doctor hesitated.

“Doctor, what does he mean?” Frank asked again.

“Guys!” Percy, who had run for the exit, was pressing on a glass wall that had fallen down. Their tunnel had become a bubble. It looked to be softening, melting. Soon, the water would come crashing in.

“You do know I can’t breathe under the water, right?” The Doctor asked.

Phorcys’s voice laughed. “No, no, Gaea has assured me you can survive most anything.”

“Uh…”

“We won’t cooperate, Phocrys!” Percy shouted.

“Oh, I’m optimistic,” the sea god’s voice boomed. “If you won’t fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you’ll be properly sedated and follow directions. Believe me, you’ll come to love your new home.”

Over their heads, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.

“I’m the son of Poseidon!” Percy shouted. “You can’t imprison me in water. This is where I’m strongest.”

Phorcys laugh echoed all around them. “What a coincidence! It’s also where  _ I’m  _ strongest. This tank is specifically designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you three. I’ll see you at feeding time!”

The glass dome shattered and the water crashed in.

The Doctor held his breath. Water drenched him to the bone. Percy held his breath, but after a minute or so, he released it. On the other side of the tank, Frank had turned into a massive goldfish.

_ Dude, _ Percy said telepathically, _ A goldfish? _

_ I freaked.  _ Frank responded.  _ We were talking about goldfish, so it was on my mind. Sue me. _

_ I’m having a telepathic conversation with a giant koi,  _ Percy said.  _ Great. Can you turn into something more…useful? _

Frank paused, concentrating for a moment. Finally, he said.  _ Sorry. I’m stuck. That happens sometimes when I panic. _

The Doctor rolled his eyes and placed his fingers on Percy’s temples.

_ Oxygen, Percy? _

_ Oh. Oxygen, right. Sorry. _

Percy concentrated for a moment. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. 

Percy shrugged, looking a little panicked.

_ I don’t know, I can’t control it. _

_ This is…problematic.  _ Frank said.

The Doctor looked at him with an expression that said,  _ You think? _

_ But you’ve got your respiratory bypass, right? _ Percy asked.

_ Yeah, I’ve got about nine minutes, forty three seconds? _

Percy cursed, relaying this information over to Frank, who in turn cursed as well.

_ We need to get out of here. _

_ Oh, really? We would never have thought of that on our own! _ Percy shot back.

_ Get Frank to swim around and see if he can find any exits. Percy, you check the top. I’m going to see what I can find on the ground. _

Percy nodded and relayed this to Frank.

Frank swam around the tank and reported no exits. Percy found that the top was covered with Celestial mesh. He tried to cut through with Riptide, but couldn’t seem to make a dent. It was then that they reverted to more primitive methods. They tried to smash through the glass wall with some of the weapons that the Doctor had found littered about the ground, but it refused to so much as crack.

After a few more minutes, the Doctor was getting seriously concerned. He was beginning to panic – never a good thing. He had to stay calm. Stay –

_ Look!  _ Frank said.

Outside the glass, Keto was leading Coach Hedge through the amphitheatre, lecturing him on something whilst the coach nodded and admired the stadium seating.

_ Coach!  _ Percy tried to yell telepathically, but the satyr couldn’t hear.

Frank bumped his head against the glass.

Coach Hedge didn’t appear to notice. Keto walked him briskly across the amphitheatre. She didn’t even look through the glass, most likely assuming the tank was still empty. She pointed to the far end of the room, encouraging him forwards.

Coach Hedge and Keto were about a meter and a half from the exit when Percy scooped up one enormous marble and hurled it at the glass.

It hit the glass with a  _ thunk –  _ not nearly loud enough to attract any attention from a human. But Coach Hedge wasn’t human. His satyr ears perked up, and when he saw the Doctor and Percy, his expression went through several changes in a matter of microseconds – incomprehension, surprise, outrage, then a mask of calm.

Before Keto could notice, Coach Hedge pointed towards the top of the amphitheatre.

Keto turned. Coach Hedge promptly took off his fake foot and did a jumping kick, hitting the goddess in the back of the head with his goat hoof. Keto crumpled to the floor.

The Doctor winced. Coach Hedge ran to the glass, holding up his palms as if to ask,  _ What are you doing in there? _

Percy pounded his fist on the glass and mouthed:  _ Break it! _

Coach Hedge looked at Percy, then the Doctor, and mouthed,  _ Where’s Frank? _

The Doctor and Percy to the massive goldfish.

Frank waved his left dorsal fin.  _ ‘Sup? _

Behind Coach Hedge, Keto was beginning to move. Percy pointed frantically.

Coach Hedge shook his leg as though warming up to kick her again, but the Doctor waved his arms and shook his head.

_ On three, _ Percy mouthed, holding up three fingers and then gesturing at the glass.  _ All of us hit it at the same time. _

Coach Hedge nodded.

The Doctor got another massive marble and Percy hefted his own.

_ Frank, we’ll need you too.  _ Percy called to the koi fish.  _ Can you change form yet? _

_ Maybe back to human. _

_ Human is brilliant, _ The Doctor said,  _ Just hold your breath. _

Keto rose to her knees.

Percy counted on his fingers.  _ One, two, three! _

Frank turned to human and shoved his shoulder against the glass. The coach did a roundhouse kick with his hoof, and the Doctor and Percy used all their strength to slam the marbles into the wall. And there was another force. The water felt as though it was pushing too.

The glass wall cracked. Fracture lines zigzagged from the point of impact, and suddenly, the tank burst. The Doctor, Frank, and Percy tumbled across the amphitheatre floor alongside some large marbles and a clump of plastic seaweed.

Keto was just getting to her feet when the diver statue slammed into her, knocking her back to the ground.

Coach Hedge spit salt water. “Pan’s pipes! What were you  _ doing  _ in there?”

“Phorcys!” Percy spluttered. “Trap! Run!”

Alarms blared as the four of them fled the exhibits. They ran past the Nereids’ tank, then the telkhines. The Doctor slowed, not wanting to leave them behind.

“We’ll be back,” Percy promised, grabbing the Doctor’s arm and dragging him from the room.

Over the sound system, Phorcys’s voice boomed: “Percy Jackson!”

Flash pots and sparklers exploded randomly. Donut-scented smoke filled the halls. Dramatic music playing six different tracks blared simultaneously from the speakers. Lights popped and caught fire as all the special effects in the building were triggered at once.

Percy, the Doctor, Coach Hedge, and Frank stumbled out of the glass tunnel, finding themselves back in the whale shark room. The mortal section of the aquarium was filled with screaming crowds – families and day camp groups running in every direction whilst the staff raced around frantically, trying to assure everyone that it was just a faulty alarm system.

They joined the mortals and ran for the exit.


	12. The Nereid of Charleston Harbor

The Doctor hurried into the hall and burst open the door to Annabeth’s room.

“You seen Leo?” He asked hurriedly, “We need to take off.”

Annabeth and Hazel shot to their feet.

“Where’s Percy?” Annabeth demanded, just as Hazel said, “Where’s Frank?”

“They’re on deck, so’s Coach Hedge. Everyone’s fine. We’re being followed.”

Annabeth pushed past him and spirited up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

The Doctor followed, making their way up to Frank, Percy, and Coach Hedge, all who were laying on the deck, exhausted. 

Leo, Piper, and Jason, all who’d been eating in the dining hall, came rushing up the stairs.

“What? What?” Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. “Can’t a guy even take a lunch break? What’s wrong?”

“We’re being followed,” The Doctor said.

“Followed by  _ what?”  _ Jason asked.

“We may or may not have pissed off a couple all-powerful sea gods.”

“I can’t leave you guys alone for ten minutes.” Annabeth sighed. “Leo, you’d better get us out of here.”

“Set course for Charleston.” The Doctor instructed.

Leo nodded, putting his sandwich between his teeth and ran for the helm.

Once the Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance, they all gathered on the quarterdeck so that Leo could hear them as well.

“So, what’s in Charleston?” Annabeth asked.

“And what exactly did you find in Atlanta?” Jason asked.

Frank unzipped his rucksack and began bringing out souvenirs. “Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs.”

“How about you start from the top,” Annabeth suggested. “Of the story, not the backpack.”

The Doctor explained exactly what had happened, Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: “That was awesome!” or “Then I kicked her in the head!”

“We need to help those sea creatures,” The Doctor insisted once he’d finished.

“We will,” Percy promised. “In time. But we need to figure out  _ how.  _ I wish…” He shook his head. “Never mind. First we have to deal with this bounty on our heads.”

Coach Hedge lost interest in the conversation, most likely because it was no longer about him, and wandered towards the bow of the ship whilst practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

Annabeth grabbed the hilt of her dagger. “A bounty on our heads…as if we don’t attract enough monsters already – and, I know, Doctor,” She shot as the Doctor opened his mouth, “You probably have more bounties on your head than fish in the sea, but the point still stands. It’s not good.”

The Doctor shut his mouth in a small pout.

“Do we get WANTED posters?” Leo asked eagerly. “And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?”

Hazel wrinkled her nose.  _ “What  _ are you talking about?”

“Just curious how much I’m going for these days,” Leo said. “I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy, Jason, or the Doctor, maybe…but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?”

“Hey!” Frank complained.

“Knock it off,” Annabeth ordered. “At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map.”

Piper leaned against the control panel. “A map,” she said. “But a map to  _ what?” _

“The Mark of Athena.” The Doctor hummed thoughtfully. He glanced at Annabeth, who was staring at him with a face that said,  _ I don’t want to talk about it. _

_ “Whatever  _ that is,” Percy said, glancing between the two. “We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks.”

_ “The giants’ bane,”  _ Hazel added.

Percy nodded. “And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue.”

“Um…” Frank rolled his not-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. “According to Phorcys, we’d have to be insane to try to find it. But what  _ is  _ it?”

The Doctor glanced over at Annabeth. She looked…agitated. As if there was something she wanted to say, but wasn’t quite willing to say it.

“I – I’m close to an answer,” Annabeth said. “I’ll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name  _ Charleston… _ have you been there before?”

Jason did glance uneasily at Piper.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the C.S.S.  _ Hunley. _ ”

“The what?” Piper asked.

“Woah!” Leo said. “That’s the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that.”

“It was designed by Roman demigods,” Jason said. “It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes – until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter.”

Hazel crossed her arms. “So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say…not cool?”

“Yes, very much not cool,” The Doctor agreed. “But just because your ancestors did something horrible, doesn’t mean you are the same.”

“Not to mention,” Jason said, “It wasn’t  _ all  _ Greeks on one side and  _ all  _ Romans on the other. But, yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices.” He looked sheepishly at Hazel. “Like sometimes we’re too suspicious. And we speak without thinking.”

Hazel stared at him. Slowly, it seemed to dawn on her that he was apologizing.

Jason elbowed Leo.

“Ow!” Leo yelped. “I mean, yeah…bad choices. Like not trusting people’s brothers wh, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking.”

Hazel pursed her lips. “Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?”

Jason shrugged. “Well…I can think of _two_ places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the _Hunley –_ that’s one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside.”  
“I’ll go,” Leo said. “That sounds cool.”

“I’ll come as well.” The Doctor agreed. 

Jason nodded, then turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. “You should come too, Frank. We might need you.”

Frank looked surprised. “Why? Not like I was much good at the aquarium.”

“You were brilliant, Frank,” The Doctor said, “Took all of us to break that glass.”

“Besides, you’re a child of Mars,” Jason added. “The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has  _ plenty  _ of Confederate ghosts. We’ll need you to keep them in line.”

Frank gulped nervously. “Okay, sure.” He frowned at his fingers trying to pull them out of the trap. “Uh, how do you –?”

Leo chuckled. “Man, you’ve never seen those before? There’s a simple trick to getting out.”

Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he’d been standing, a green iguana crouched beside an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

“Well done, Frank Zhang,” Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron. “That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas.”

The room exploded with laughter and Frank turned back to human, picking up the handcuffs and shoving them in his rucksack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

“Anyway,” Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. “The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?”

Jason’s smile faded. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t pleasant.

“Yeah,” He said. “The other place is called Battery – it’s a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there…with Reyna…” He glanced at Piper, then rushed on. “We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling – she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her.”

Everyone waited.

“What did she say?” Annabeth prompted.

“Reyna wouldn’t tell me,” Jason admitted. “But it must have been important. She seemed…shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that.”

“A girls’ adventure, then,” Annabeth said. “Piper and Hazel can come with me.”

Both girls nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt that her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experience for a lifetime. Piper’s eyes flashed defiantly, as if eager to prove that anything Reyna could do, she could too.

“That just leaves Percy,” The Doctor said. “You want to come with us or will you be okay here with Coach Hedge.”

“Well, I was actually thinking of jumping into the harbor.” Percy said. “Maybe try to communicate with the local Nereids. They might give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel…unclean.”

“You probably shouldn’t go alone,” Annabeth said nervously.

“I can go with Percy instead,” The Doctor suggested.

“So that’s settled.” Annabeth turned to Leo, who was studying the console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. “Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?”

“Good question,” He muttered. “Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us – long-range radar, still not in sight.”

Piper leaned over the console. “Are you sure they’re Roman.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “No, Pipes. It could be a roman group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they’re Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight –”

“We’re not fighting anybody.” The Doctor said firmly.

“Well, I’ve got another idea,” Leo said. “If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated.  _ Instead, _ we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning –”

Hazel began to protest, but Leo raised his hand. “I know, I know. Nico’s in trouble and we have to hurry.”

“We’ve only got four more days after today,” The Doctor said.

“I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome.”  
Hazel scowled. “When you say, _should have enough…_ ”

Leo shrugged. “How do you feel about  _ barely enough?” _

Hazel put her face in her hands. “Sounds about typical for us.”

The Doctor sighed. “Right, Leo. What kind of decoy are you thinking?”

“I’m so glad you asked!” Leo punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the  _ A  _ button on his Wii controller. He called into the intercom, “Buford? Report for duty, please.”

Frank took a step back. “There’s somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?”

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and emerging from the engine room was a three-legged automatic table with a mahogany top. His bronze base had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. Buford was toting a sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and whistled.

“This is Buford,” Leo announced.

“You name your furniture?” Frank asked.

“Oh, he is  _ gorgeous. _ ” The Doctor said, admiring Buford.

“See, he gets it.” Leo grinned. “Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?”

Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pieces, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.

“A helicopter table,” Percy muttered. “Gotta admit, that’s cool. What’s in the bag?”

“Dirty demigod laundry,” Leo said. “I hope you don’t mind, Frank.”

Frank choked. “What?”

“Oh, Leo, that’s brilliant.” The Doctor grinned before turning back to the others. “It’ll throw the eagles off the scent.”

“Those were my only extra pants!” Frank protested.

Leo shrugged. “I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he’s out. Hopefully he will.” He rubbed his hands and grinned. “Well! I call that a good day’s work. I’m gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!”

A little while later, the Doctor found himself laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, and mulling over the plan for the next day in his head. A few rooms over, he could hear Annabeth’s door creak open, and the faint voice of Frank saying, “Um, sorry, could I –?”

A pause of silence.

“Sure,” Annabeth’s voice said. “Yes.”

There were a few footsteps as the two moved about the room.

“So…Frank,” Annabeth ventured. “What can I do for you?”

“I don’t like being in the dark about this,” He muttered. “Could you show me the trick? I didn’t feel comfortable asking anyone else.”

“Absolutely.” Annabeth said. “Sit down.” There was a moment of pause. “You didn’t want to ask the Doctor?”

Frank hummed quietly. “He…Y’know…I didn’t want him to like, tease me or anything.”

Annabeth laughed softly. “He means well, Frank. He just has a tendency to make fun of humans when he gets frustrated.”

“Just…in comparison to him, I feel…kinda stupid, you know?”

“I mean, he is hundreds of years old, so it’s to be expected.” Annabeth said. “But yeah, I know what you mean.”

A moment’s pause.

“Is he  _ really  _ nine hundred years old? Like, really?”

Annabeth laughed “Honestly, I have no clue.”

“Sometimes I wonder how much of what he says is true.”

“After all this time, you don’t trust him?” Annabeth asked. The Doctor could hear the frown in her voice.

“It’s not that,” Frank assured her, “I trust him, I do, it’s just…”

“He can be hard to believe sometimes, I know.” Annabeth sighed. “But I trust him.”

“We know nothing about him.” Frank pointed out.

“He didn’t tell you?” Annabeth sounded surprised.

“Tell me what?”

“Tell you about…” She lowered her voice as if she was afraid of being overheard, “about Gallifrey?” 

“He mentioned it once,” Frank murmured. “Said it was his planet – absolutely beautiful. He never told me why he left. Do – do you know why?"

Annabeth hesitated. "Yeah, he told Percy, Grover, and I…"

"Could you tell me? I don't mean to pry or anything," Frank said quickly, "But I feel like if I knew, I could understand him better."

"It's…complicated, Frank. If he's not told you, I don't know if he'd want me to."

"Why not? I thought he and I were close. He knows my…secret. Doesn't he trust me enough to tell me his?"

"It's not that simple Frank. He's been through a lot."

"We all have!" Frank cried. His voice then lowered. "I'm sorry, I just…I trust him and everything, but I wish he'd have more faith in us. It makes me wonder if his motives are the same as ours."

Annabeth sighed. "I know what you mean. But I know enough about him to know he's here for the right reasons."

"Yeah…" Frank didn't sound so convinced.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“So…Can you show me how this works?” Frank asked, undoubtedly referring to the finger trap.

“Yeah, yeah, of course.”

There was the sound of fingers running across Daedalus’s laptop’s keyboard.

“How’d you get that?” Frank asked.

“Cutting-edge Ancient Greek technology,” Annabeth responded. “Okay, look. The structure is a cylindrical biaxial braid, so it has excellent resilience. When you put your fingers inside, it loosens. But when you try to remove them, the circumference shrinks as the braid catches and tightens. There’s no way you can pull free by struggling.”

There was an uncomfortable pause.

“But what’s the answer?” Frank asked dumbly.

“Well…” Annabeth clicked some more on the laptop. “Pretty amazing for a woven structure, right? Doctors use it for traction, and electrical contractors –”

“Uh, but the answer?”

Annabeth laughed. “You don’t fight  _ against  _ the handcuffs. You push your fingers in, not out. That loosens the braid.”

“Oh.” A pause. “Thanks, but…couldn’t you just have shown me on the handcuffs without the 3-D program and the calculations?”

Annabeth hesitated. “I guess you’re right. That was silly. I learned something too.”

Another pause.

“It’s easy when you know the solution.”

“Many of the best traps are simple,” Annabeth said. “You just have to think about it, and hope your victim doesn’t.”

There was a long pause, as if Frank was reluctant to leave the room.

“Annabeth…” Frank said finally, “Sometime, maybe could you help me with another problem that’s not so simple? I’ve got…I guess you’d call it an Achilles’ heel.”

“I’d be happy to.” Annabeth said. “Does anyone else know about this Achilles’ heel?”

“Percy, Hazel, and the Doctor,” Frank said. “That’s it.”

“Okay,” Annabeth said, “So what is it?”

The dinner bell sounded.

“Maybe…maybe later,” He said. “It’s hard to talk about. But thanks, Annabeth. Keep it simple.”

That Doctor didn’t go to dinner that evening.

By the morning, Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right beside the seawall. Along the shore was a historical district with tall mansions, palm trees, and wrought-iron fences. Antique cannons pointed at the water.

The Doctor and Percy waved to Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel as they departed. Jason, Frank, and Leo had already left for the museum, promising they’d be back by sunset.

“Good luck, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth kissed Percy’s cheek. “Just come back to me, okay?”

“I will,” Percy promised. “You do the same.”

Annabeth tried to smile at the Doctor, who avoided her gaze. She frowned, then turned back to the other girls.

“Okay, ladies. Let’s find the ghost of the Battery.”

The three departed leaving Percy and the Doctor to descend into the depths of the sea.

It didn’t take long for them to find a Nereid – or, more accurately, for the Nereid to find them. She made her way towards them, her beautiful long dark hair flowing behind her. Her sea-green eyes were locked onto the two boys. She was wearing a gossamer white dress that bellowed around her in the water. 

“Hello, son of Poseidon,” The Nereid greeted, then smiled sweetly at the Doctor. “Hello, Lord of Time. What brings you to my shores?”

“Hey, um…” Percy said uncomfortably.

“Actaea,” The Nereid said. “I am Actaea, Nereid of the seashore.”

“Right,” Percy said, “We were actually wondering if you could help us.” He quickly explained their trip to the aquarium and of what they’d seen, the Doctor pitching in from time to time.

Once he’d finished, Actaea looked positively furious. She took a long pause so as to compose herself.

“I don’t believe we Nereids cannot help you,” She admitted. “But perhaps there are others who can. You must seek the help of the centaurs.” She advised. “They may be able to help.”

“The centaurs?” Percy asked doubtfully, “You seriously think the party ponies can help?”

“Yes, indeed,” The Nereid confirmed confidently.

“Right,” The Doctor said, “You know where we can find them, then?”

The Nereid contemplated this for a moment, “They currently reside in the Atlantic. I can give you the coordinates, but I do warn caution. The goddess Keto, she may be stuck in Atlanta, but she can still send her children after you. You must be prepared for an attack.”

“We will,” The Doctor promised.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

“You must go,” She said. “You are needed above. Farewell, child of the sea,” She looked at the Doctor, giving him a seductive smile. “Doctor.”

She disappeared into the sea.

Percy turned to the Doctor, “Every time, man. How come every single Nereid or nymph we come across –”

There was a splash a few meters away.

The Doctor spun around only to see Annabeth’s dagger sinking down through the water. He locked eyes with Percy. 

Trouble.

With a grin, Percy grabbed the dagger and erupted through the harbor, launching himself and the Doctor onto the dock, washing away the three figures standing opposite to Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper.

In Charleston Harbor, Octavian and two of his roman friends were spluttering.

“You dropped this.” Percy said calmly, handing the weapon back to Annabeth, who threw her arms around him.

“I love you!”

“Guys,” Hazel interrupted. She had a small smile on her face. “We need to hurry.”

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, “Get me out of here! I’ll kill you!”

“Hush, the adults are talking!” The Doctor chided.

Octavian gaped, his mouth moved like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite find the words to say it. That was a first.

“Let’s go, guys.” Percy said.

Hazel frowned. “We can’t let them drown, can we?”

“They won’t,” Percy promised. “I’ve got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we’re out of range, I’ll spit them ashore.”

Piper grinned. “Nice.”

The five of them climbed aboard the  _ Argo II  _ and the Doctor followed Annabeth to the helm. “Piper, get below. Use the sink in the gallery for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!” Annabeth ordered.

Piper nodded and raced away.

“Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!”

“Right!”

“Percy, Doctor, I need your help getting this ship to Fort Sumter.”

Percy nodded and ran to the mast whilst the Doctor and Annabeth took the helm. The Doctor ran his fingers down the controls and fired the engine. From the corner of his eye, he could see Percy controlling the ship, ropes flying around on their own, releasing the dock ties and weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind, the oars extended, and the  _ Argo II  _ turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.

Overhead, three eagles were circling, but they made no attempt to land on the ship thanks to Festus. The dragon would blow fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation towards Fort Sumter – a least a dozen. Each of them looked to be carrying a Roman demigod.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves.

“Where are they?” He demanded. “Who do I kill?”

“We’re not killing  _ anyone. _ ” The Doctor said. “We just need you to defend the ship.”

“But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!”

Piper emerged from below. “Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he’s already on his way. He should be – oh! There!”

Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a massive bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.”

“Frank!” Hazel said.

Leo was holding on to the eagle’s feet, and even from the ship, and the Doctor could hear him screaming and cursing.

Behind them flew Jason, controlling the winds.

“Never seen Jason fly before,” Percy grumbled. “He looks like a blond Superman.”

“This isn’t the time!” Piper scolded. “Look, they’re in trouble!”

Sure enough, a Roman flying chariot descended from a cloud and dove directly towards them.

Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo’s feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the  _ Argo II  _ and fly towards Fort Sumter.

“I’ll get ‘em!” Coach Hedge yelled.

He spun the port ballista and fired a flaming spear towards the chariot.

It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately it also singed Frank’s wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot towards Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.

The Doctor watched in horror as Jason – obviously dazed and in pain – lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering  _ CRACK!  _ One broken wheel spun into the air.

”Coach!” Piper screamed.

“What?” Coach Hedge demanded. “That was just a warning shot!”

The Doctor gunned the engines, the hull shuddering as they accelerated. The docks of the island were only a hundred meters away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.

The crew of the  _ Argo II  _ would be outnumbered at least three to one.

“Percy, we’re going to come in hard,” The Doctor called, “Can you control the water and make sure we don’t crash into the docks?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Right, once we’re there, I need you to hold off the attackers. Piper, Hazel, Coach Hedge, I need you to help him guard the ship. Annabeth, you come with me. We’re going to find Jason, Frank, and Leo.”

“And the map,” Annabeth added. 

“Right, that too.”

“The fort is crawling with Romans,” Percy warned. “You’ll have to fight your way through, find our friends – assuming they’re okay – find this map, and get everybody back alive. Just the two of you?”

“Just an average day.” Annabeth kissed him. “The Doctor and I have got this. Whatever you do, don’t let them take this ship!”


	13. Bloody Romans

Leo had somehow managed to escape his fall unharm. The Doctor could see him ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles that swooped down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.

Tour guides kept yelling, “It’s just a reenactment!” Though they didn’t sound all that sure. The Mist could only do so much.

In the middle of the courtyard, a fully grown elephant – Frank? – rampaged around the flagpoles, scattering Roman warriors. Jason stood about fifty meters away, sword-fighting with a stocky centurion whose lips were stained cherry red.

“Sorry about this, Dakota!” Jason yelled as he vaulted directly over the centurion’s head and slammed the hilt of his gladius into the back of the Roman’s head. Dakota crumpled.

“Jason!” The Doctor called.

It took him a moment to scan the battlefield until he saw the two of them.

“Retreat! Get the others aboard!”

“What about you guys?” He called.

“Don’t wait for us!” Annabeth responded and she and the Doctor bolted before he could protest.

Annabeth struggled to maneuver through the mobs of tourists, but the Doctor easily weaved his way through, grateful for the chaos, as without it, there’s no doubt the Romans would’ve already surrounded their outnumbered crew.

The Doctor pulled Annabeth into a small room that looked to be part of the garrison.

“Right, some of the Union defenders had been children of Athena,” Annabeth said. “They hid the map so it wouldn’t fall into enemy hands. If I had been one of those demigods, where would I have put it?”

Suddenly, the walls glistened. The air became warm. The door slammed shut and the mortar between the stones blistered. The bubbles popped, and thousands of tiny black spiders swelled forth.

Annabeth froze, staring at the spiders that blanketed the walls, crawling over one another, spreading across the floor and gradually surrounding them.

“Gaea?” Annabeth murmured. “Who – who is the weaver?”

“What?” The Doctor asked. “Gaea? Did she say something to you?”

“Th-the weaver,” Annabeth said, sounding terrified. “She said I’ll meet the weaver soon.”

The siders were becoming excited, swarming over the walls, swirling around their feet.

“She’s saying she hopes I survive,” Annabeth said, her voice wavering. “That she’d prefer me as her sacrifice, but…” She listened for a moment more. “But she must let the weaver ‘take her revenge’…”

Annabeth stared at the far wall, directly at the center of the spider swarm.

“The Mark of Athena.” She breathed.

From this spot, the spiders began to incinerate. This spread around the room until all that was left was the smell of sickly sweet ashes.

The garrison door burst open.

The Doctor grabbed Annabeth’s arm – as she still stood, stunned, in the middle of the room – and pulled her towards the exit, only to be knocked to his feet by an explosion that rocked the room.

He pulled himself and Annabeth to their feet and dragged the girl out of the building. She was still trembling terribly.

“Look!”

Across the courtyard, past the panicked tourists and fighting demigods, at the edge of the battlements, Annabeth was pointing to a large mortar that pointed out to sea.

She dashed towards it, the Doctor on her heels. An eagle swooped at her, but Annabeth ducked and kept running with a newfound determination.

Roman demigods had formed ranks and were advancing towards the  _ Argo II,  _ but a miniature storm had gathered over their heads. Though the day was clear all around them, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed above the Romans. Rain and wind pushed them back.

The Doctor and Annabeth reached the mortar and Annabeth put her hand on the muzzle. She looked at the plug that blocked the opening.

“In the mortar,” Annabeth said, “Of course.”

She pried at the plug with her fingers without luck. Cursing, she drew her dagger, and as soon as the Celestial bronze touched the plug, the plug shrank and loosened. Annabeth pulled it off and stuck her hand inside the cannon.

She pulled her hand out with a smile. Within her fingers was a small disk of bronze the size of a saucer, etched with delicate letters and illustrations. She thrust it in her rucksack and she and the Doctor turned, only to find themselves face to face with Reyna.

“Rushing off?” The praetor asked.

She stood three meters away in full battle armor, holding a golden javelin. Her two metal greyhounds growled at her side.

The Doctor and Annabeth were more or less alone with Reyna, as most of the combat had moved towards the docks. With any luck, the others had made it on board, but they’d have to set sail immediately or risk being overrun. They had to hurry.

“Reyna,” The Doctor said. “What happened at Camp Jupiter was a misunderstanding –”

“Save your explanations, Doctor.” Reyna said. “You’ll need them for the trail.”

“But it was Gaea’s fault!” Annabeth said. “Eidolons, possessing spirits –”

“Save it!” Reyna snapped.

“Annabeth, go to the ship.” The Doctor said calmly. “I’ll deal with this.”

“No!”

_ “Go!”  _ The Doctor snapped, his eyes flickering with rage.

Annabeth looked the Doctor dead in the eyes. “You don’t scare me, Doctor.”

The Doctor sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair.

“Fine.” He looked back to Reyna. “If you let Gaea drive our camps apart, the giants will have already won. They’ll destroy Romans and Greeks alike. Mortals, gods, everyone.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Reyna demanded. “But what choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood. He’s whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can’t stop it. Surrender to me, Doctor. I’ll bring you back to New Rome for trial. It won’t be fair. You’ll be painfully executed. But it  _ may  _ be enough to stop further violence. Octavian won’t be satisfied, of course, but I think I can convince the others to stand down.”

“But it wasn’t his fault!” Annabeth protested.

“It doesn’t  _ matter!”  _ Reyna snapped. “Someone must pay for what happened. Let it be him. Or let it be you. It doesn’t matter who. But it’s the better option.”

“Better than what?” Annabeth asked.

“Annabeth,” The Doctor said. “If we escape today, if I don’t stay behind, they won’t follow us. They know better than to cross the ocean. But if Octavian can’t have his vengeance on us, he’ll turn to Camp Half-Blood.”

Annabeth stared in horror. The Doctor had seen the Romans in action. He too was aware that it was unlikely the Greeks stood a chance against the Roman army.

“I’ll return with you.” The Doctor said. “To keep the peace.”

“Doctor, you can’t!” Annabeth cried.

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do.” The Doctor growled. “It’s the only way.”

“There’s always another way.” Annabeth insisted. “Isn’t that what you always say? There’s always another way!”

“This  _ is  _ the other way!” The Doctor shouted, “What are our other options? Let the camp be attacked?”

“I’ll follow the Mark of Athena to Rome,” Annabeth said, “If I succeed, I can save both camps! This grudge between our people, I can fix it!”

“Our grudge is thousands of years old.” Reyna said. “How can one person fix it?”

“She can do it.” The Doctor said, looking at Annabeth. “I have faith in her.”

A small smile crossed Annabeth’s lips.

“If you leave now, you doom your camp to destruction.” Reyna said.

“Don’t underestimate Camp Half-Blood,” Annabeth warned.

“You’ve never seen the legion at war,” Reyna countered.

“Well,  _ I  _ have.” The Doctor said firmly. “And the Greeks are stronger than you give them credit for.”

Over by the docks, Octavian was shouting, “Kill them! Kill them all!”

The descendent of Apollo was crouching behind his guards, screaming encouragement at the other ROman demigods as they struggled towards the ship, holding up their shields as if that would deflect the storm raging all around them.

On the deck of the  _ Argo II,  _ Percy and Jason stood together, their swords crossed. They were working as one, summoning the sky and sea to do their bidding. Water and wind churned together. Waves heaved against the ramparts and lightning flashed. Giant eagles were knocked from the sky, and the wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water. Coach Hedge swung a mounted crossbow, shooting at the Roman birds as they flew overhead.

“You see?” Reyna said bitterly. “The spear is thrown. Our people are at war.”

“Not if I succeed.” Annabeth insisted.

“Doctor, will you come?” Reyna was all but begging. “Will you save us from this war?”

The Doctor glanced at Annabeth, who was looking back at him desperately. She was just waiting for him to go with Reyna, to show he truly had no faith in her ability to stop the war.

“No.” He said. “Annabeth can do it.”

Reyna stared at the Doctor. Her eyes were empty, bitter. She looked betrayed, as if she couldn’t quite believe anything could ever go right for her again. The Doctor waited for her to attack.

Instead, Reyna flicked her hand. The metal dogs backed away. “Doctor, when we meet again, we will be enemies on the field of battle.”

“It won’t come to that.” The Doctor promised.

“I certainly hope you’re right.” Reyna said. She turned and walked across the ramparts, her greyhounds behind her.

“You really meant that, right?” Annabeth asked, looking at the Doctor, “You really think I can do it?”

“I do.” The Doctor promised.

Annabeth grinned. “Come on, then.”

The two of them sprinted for the ship.

The winds that battered the Romans didn’t seem to affect either of them. As they passed the Roman lines, Octavian yelled, “Stop them!”

A spear flew past the Doctor’s ear. The  _ Argo II  _ was already pulling away from the dock. Piper was at the gangplank, her hand outstretched.

The Doctor jumped, catching Piper’s hand. He could feel Annabeth catch onto his ankle.

Just as Piper managed to pull the Doctor and Annabeth up, the gangplank under Annabeth’s foot fell into the sea, causing all three of them crashing to the deck.

“Go!” Annabeth screamed. “Go, go, go!”

The engines rumbled beneath them. The oars churned. Jason changed the course of the wind, and Percy called up a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort’s walls and pushed it out to sea. By the time the  _ Argo II  _ reached top speed, Fort Sumpter was only a blot in the distance and they were racing across the waves towards the ancient lands.

The Doctor stood on the deck, staring out at the water.

“Hey, Doctor.” Annabeth made her way beside him, resting her arms on the railing and casting her gaze out to sea as well.

The Doctor hummed in acknowledgment.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“You heard Frank and I last night, didn’t you?” Annabeth asked.

The Doctor nodded wordlessly.

Annabeth sighed, her eyes slipping from the sea to the deck floor.

"I knew it."

“I meant what I said.” The Doctor insisted. “I _do_ have faith in –”

“Save it.” Annabeth snaped. She pressed her hands to her eyes. “Sorry. I’m sorry, Doctor. I just…I know you say you believe in me, but I’m having a really hard time believing in you right now.”

“Annabeth –”

But Annabeth was already walking away.

The Doctor sighed, dropping his head onto his arms that were resting on the rail.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured into the empty air. 

He got no response.

The Doctor made his way towards the rest of the crew. Percy and Jason were sitting with their backs against the mast, their heads slumped in exhaustion. Annabeth and Piper were insisting they drink some water. Hazel and Frank were having a heated argument that involved loads of arm waving and head shaking. Leo was making his way towards everyone from the control room.

“No sign of pursuit,” Frank announced as they all convened.

“Or land,” Hazel added. She was looking a little ill, but whether it was from the heated argument or the rocking of the boat, the Doctor wasn’t sure.

Leo turned to Annabeth. “Did you find the map you wanted?”

She nodded, though she still looked upset from her conversation with the Doctor.

“I’ll have to study it, though.” She said.

“I can take a look –” The Doctor offered, but Annabeth cut him off sharply.

“No, I’ve got it.”

The Doctor nodded and surrendered.

“Okay…” Percy looked suspiciously between Annabeth and Percy, “Leo, how far are we from the coordinates I gave you?”

“At top rowing speed, about an hour,” Leo said. “Any idea what we’re looking for?”

“The Nereid said Chiron’s brothers were there, and they’d want to hear about that aquarium in Atlanta. I don’t know what she meant, but she also warned us…” He paused, like he’d used up all his energy saying so much.

“She warned us to be careful.” The Doctor finished for him. “Keto, the goddess from the aquarium, she’s the mother of sea monsters. She may be stuck in Atlanta right now, but she can still send her children after us. We should expect an attack.”

“Wonderful,” Frank muttered.

Jason tried to stand, which was a horrible idea. Piper grabbed him to keep him from falling over, and he slid back down the mast.

“Can we get the ship aloft?” He asked. “If we could fly –”

“That’d be great,” Leo said. “Except Festus tells me the port aerial stabilizer got pulverized when the ship raked against the dock at Fort Sumter.”

“We were in a hurry,” Annabeth said. “Trying to save you.”

“And saving me is a very noble cause,” Leo agreed. “I’m just saying, it’ll take some time to fix. Until then, we’re not flying anywhere.”

Percy flexed his shoulders and winced. “Fine with me. The sea is good.”

“Speak for yourself.” Hazel glanced at the evening sun, which was just reaching the horizon. “We need to go fast. We’ve burned another day, and Nico only has three more left.”

“We can do it,” Leo promised. “We can make it to Rome in three days – assuming, you know, nothing unexpected happens.”

Frank grunted. “Is there any  _ good  _ news?”

“Actually, yes,” Leo said. “According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn’t get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants.”

“Dang it!” Frank barked, which was the closest to a curse the Doctor had ever heard from him.

Percy doubled over, groaning. “Did the world just turn upside down?”

Jason pressed his hands to his head. “Yeah, and it’s spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?”

Annabeth and Piper exchanged concerned looks.

“Summoning that storm really sapped your strength,” Piper told them. “You’ve got to rest.”

The Doctor stepped towards the boys to assist them down below deck, but Annabeth glared at him before saying, “Frank, can you help Piper and I get the guys below deck?”

“Yeah, sure.” Frank said, and he, Piper, and Annabeth carried Jason and Percy down the steps.

As they disappeared, Leo swiveled over to face the Doctor.

“Okay,  _ what  _ was that about?”

“Hmm?” The Doctor said, feigning ignorance.

“Um, you and Annabeth,” Leo said obviously, “You weren’t acting like that this morning.”

The Doctor made a noise of agreement, but didn’t elaborate.

“So, you going to tell us what happened?” Hazel asked.

“No.”

“Uh, okay.” Leo said, sounding affronted.

He and Hazel made their way to the side of the ship, leaving the Doctor on his own once again.

He could still hear Leo and Hazel talking.

“It does?” Hazel was saying. “Do you get seasick too?”

“Not seasick. But cars make me nauseous, and…”

The Doctor rested his head in his heads, trying to shut out all the noise.

He stood up. He wasn’t quite sure where to go. He didn’t want to be below deck near Annabeth, nor on the deck with Leo and Hazel. He made his way towards the helm where he found Coach Hedge steering.

“What happened to you?” The coach asked.

“I’ll steer for a while.” The Doctor said emotionlessly.

Coach Hedge shrugged. “I’m not complaining. Gonna get back to my Chuck Norris movie.”

Coach Hedge left the room, leaving the Doctor alone.


	14. The Ichthyocentaurs

The sun had only just set by the time the Doctor found himself running onto the deck where Hazel and Leo were sitting, both blinking groggily like they’d just woken up.

“Leo!” The Doctor shouted.

Leo looked up at him in confusion as the ship lurched to one side.

“Monsters?” Leo called back as Festus whirred in alarm and blew flames into the night sky. The ship’s bell rang.

“Monsters.” The Doctor confirmed.

Leo cursed as the ship tilted starboard. He sprinted for the helm, the Doctor right behind him. 

The monster was the length of their ship. In the moonlight it looked to be something of a cross between a giant shrimp and a cockroach with a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-like legs undulating hypnotically as the monster scraped against the hull of the  _ Argo II _ .

Its head surfaced last – the slimy pink face of a massive catfish with glassy dead eyes, a gaping toothless maw, and a forest of tentacles sprouting from each nostril.

“AHHHHH!” Coach Hedge came running out with a baseball bat in hand. 

“I don’t think a bat’s going to help!” Leo called.

The rest of the crew was now stumbling up the stairs.

Percy yelled, “What’s going – Gah! Shrimpzilla!”

Frank ran to Hazel’s side. She was clutching the rigging, looking dazed, but she gestured that she was all right.

The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned and Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard, almost rolling overboard.

The Doctor and Leo reached the helm. Festus was clicking and clacking over the intercom.

Leo tried to toggle the oars, but even with the Sonic, they wouldn’t budge. The monster must have knocked them out of alignment.

“How did one get so close?” Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields.

Leo suddenly paled, a look of realization dawning on his face. “I’m stupid!” He scolded himself. “Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!”

The Doctor cursed. That’s what he’d been missing. That light humm in the back of his mind that he’d been ignoring this entire trip. It was the sonar. He should have noticed. He should have turned it off.

“Doctor!” Annabeth shouted, “Can’t you  _ talk  _ to this thing?”

“Um…” The Doctor hesitated. He’d tried to do so much earlier, but this monster did  _ not  _ want to talk. She was on a mission.

Without warning, one of the monster’s tendrils lashed across the deck and slammed into Percy’s chest, sending him crashing down the steps. Another wrapped around Piper’s legs and dragged her, screaming, towards the rail. Dozens more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging.

Coach Hedge was trying to hit the monster with his baseball bat, but it just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils. Jason drew his sword, trying to free Piper, but he was still weak. His golden blade cut through the tendrils, no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place.

Annabeth unsheathed her dagger and ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find. Frank pulled out his bow and fired over the side at the creature’s body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell, but this only seemed to annoy the monster. It bellowed and rocked the ship. The mast creaked as though it might snap off.

Leo’s eyes suddenly fixed on a supply crate beside Hazel’s feet

“Hazel!” He yelled. “That box! Open it!”

She hesitated, then saw the box he meant. The label read: WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.

“Open it!” Leo yelled again. “Doctor, take the wheel! Turn us towards the monster, or we’ll capsize.”

“Coach!” The Doctor shouted. “Take the wheel. Turn us towards the monster!”

Coach Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves, and bounded towards the helm, taking the controls.

“Hope you got a plan, Leo.” The Doctor said as they raced towards the mast.

“A bad one.” Leo said.

The monster pushed against the  _ Argo II.  _ The deck lurched to forty-five degrees. Despite everyone’s efforts, the tentacles were just too numerous to fight. They seemed able to elongate as much as they wanted. Soon they’d have the  _ Argo II  _ completely entangled. Pecy had yet to appear from below. The others were fighting for their lives against the tentacles.

“Frank!” Leo called as he ran towards Hazel. “Buy us some time! Can you turn into a shark or something?”

Frank glanced over, scowling.

In that moment, the Doctor saw a tentacle flying at lightning speed towards Frank. Launching himself at the boy, the Doctor knocked him to the ground. The tentacle slammed into the Doctor and sent him flying into the water.

He could feel his head collide with something hard, and everything seemed to go dark.

When the Doctor opened his eyes, he was floating weightlessly.

“Took you long enough.” Leo grumbled. His voice was distorted.

The Doctor drifted upright. He was underwater in a cave. Phosphorescent moss covered the ceiling, bathing the room in a blue and green glow. The floor was a carpet of sea urchins. The curious part was that despite Percy not being here, the Doctor could breathe, and so could Leo apparently.

The only exit to the cave was blocked by a massive abalone shell – it’s surface glistening in pear, rose, and turquoise.

“Right, have you any clue where we are, then?” The Doctor asked casually. “Where are the others?”

Leo shrugged. “As far as I can tell, it’s just you, me, and Hazel down here. The fish-horse dudes took Hazel about an hour ago. Just you and me in here.”

The Doctor hummed curiously and began to examine the room. He reached for his Sonic, but it wasn’t there.

“Took anything that could be a weapon.” Leo pouted, showing off his waist where his toolbelt usually rested.

“The Sonic’s not a weapon.” The Doctor grumbled. “These fish-horse people, do you know who they are?”

Leo shrugged helplessly. “Must’ve grabbed us from the ocean when we fell. Dragged us here…wherever here is.”

There was a stretch of silence.

“So, you and Hazel on the deck. Were you…?”

“She was showing me this flashback.” Leo said quickly. “We were trying to figure out who Sammy was.”

“And did you?”

“Yeah, well, sort of. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it afterward because of Shrimpzilla, but Sammy was my great-grandfather.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, it’s weird.” Leo said.

Another long pause.

“So…you got a clue why we can breathe down here?”

“Nope.” The Doctor popped the ‘p’. “Not a clue. May have something to do with the ‘fish-horse dudes.’”

Leo nodded. He swam to the door. “I looked before, there’s no kind of latch or other mechanism. Either it can only be opened by magic or sheer force – and right now, we don’t have either. But, I was wondering…”

He held up his hand and concentrated. Fire flickered over his fingers. For a moment, Leo grinned, but then fire began to race up his arm and over his body until he was completely shrouded in a thin veil of flame.

“Leo!” The Doctor swam towards him, but Leo was already closing his eyes, focusing on his breathing.

Steadily, the fire died down.

“You, ‘right?”

“Yeah.” Leo breathed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re getting better at controlling it. You –”

The abalone door rolled open.

The Doctor spun around and found himself face to face with a man. Well, partially so. From the waist up, he was more or less human – a thin, bare-chested man with a dagger in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest. His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his shoulder-length hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana. A pair of lobster claws stuck up from his head like horns, turning and snapping at random. 

From the waist down, however, he had the forelegs of a blue-green horse, somewhat like a centaur, but towards the back, his horse body morphed into a long fish-like tail about three meters long, with a rainbow-coloured, V-shaped tail fin.

“I am Bythos,” he said. “I will interrogate Leo Valdez.”

His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate.

“Why did you capture us?” Leo demanded. “Where’s Hazel?”

Bythos narrowed his eyes. “Come with me.”

“What about the Doctor?” Leo asked.

“He shall go with my brother, Aphros.”

It was then that the Doctor noticed that behind Bythos loomed a much larger figure with a shadow so wide it filled the entire cave entrance.

“Don’t worry,” The Doctor grinned at Leo. “See you in a bit.”

“If they don’t kill us first.” Leo grumbled, and he and Bythos disappeared into the sea.

Aphros looked much like his brother, apart from the fact that he was blue instead of green and much, much larger. He had massive abs and a square, brutish head. A large sword was strapped across his back. Even his hair was bigger – a massive globe of blue-black frizz.

“You’re the Ichthyocentaurs, aren’t you? Half-brothers of Chiron?”

“Yes, indeed.” Aphros affirmed.

“Brilliant, we’re friends with Chiron.”

Aphros narrowed his eyes. “The one called Hazel told us this, but we will determine the truth. Come.”

The Doctor followed Aphros through a massive forest of kelp. They drifted between rows of kelp as tall as a block of flats. The green and yellow plants weighed weightlessly. They drifted along for perhaps a kilometer until finally, the kelp forest opened up.

They were gazing at the summit of a high underwater hill. Below them stretched an entire town of Greek-style buildings on the seafloor. The roofs were tiled with mother-of-pearl. The gardens were filled with coral and sea anemones. Hippocampi grazed in a field of seaweed. A team of Cyclopes were placing the domed roof on a new temple, using a blue whale as a crane. And Swimming through the streets, hanging out in the courtyards, practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena were dozens of mermen and mermaids.

“This is a training camp.” The Doctor realized. “You train heroes.”

Aphros nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. “We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we have trained them!”

“Triton?”

Aphros grinned. “Of course!”

“Glaucus?”

“Indeed! Even Bill!”

“Wow.”

“Yes, impressive, I know. I trained Bill myself.”

“So you teach combat, then?”

Aphros threw up his hands in exasperation. “Why does everyone assume that?”

“What do you teach, then?”

“I teach music and poetry!” Aphros said. “Life skills! Homemaking! These are important for heroes.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” The Doctor grinned. “Baking?”

“Of  _ course!”  _ Aphros said excitedly. “I’m glad you understand. Perhaps later, if I don’t have to kill you, I will share my brownie recipe.” He gestured behind him contemptuously. “My brother Bythos –  _ he  _ teaches combat.”

The Doctor nodded, looking around at the camp. “So, how do you plan to determine, whether to – you know – kill me or not?”

“Tell me your story.” Aphros said.

“Oh, well, I was born on the planet, Gallifrey in the Constellation of Katerberous. After a few hundred years, I stole a Type-40 TARDIS and traveled the universe. I went to the Earth soon after where I –”

“No.” Aphros said, cutting him off. “You are speaking like a biographer. Tell me  _ your  _ story.”

“There's too much to tell.”

“I have a long time.”

“I don’t.”

“Then you’d better be quick.”

So the Doctor told him, well, some things. He gave him the basic run-down of his history – Gallifrey (He skipped the war), running away, some of his adventures on Earth. He then went on to describe his escapades at Camp Half-Blood, his trip to Camp Jupiter. He explained the Prophecy of Seven and their quest to reach Greece and defeat the giants before Gaea woke. He explained the eidolons, the problems with the Romans, and the issues the  _ Argo II  _ was having. As he spoke, Aphros had begun knitting, and by the time the Doctor finished, the Ichthyocentaur had knitted a complete baby bonnet.

Aphros nodded as the Doctor completed his story and he put away his supplies.

“Very well,” Aphros said. “I believe you.”

“You do?”

“I don’t think you told me everything, but all that you said was true. I am quite good at discerning lies. I hear none from you. Your story also fits with what Hazel Levesque told us.”

“Is she all right?”

“Of course,” Aphros said. “She’s fine.” He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, which sounded somewhat like a dolphin’s screech. “My people will bring her here shortly. You must understand…our location is a carefully guarded secret. You and your friends showed up in a warship pursued by one of Keto’s sea monsters. We did not know whose side you were on.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding. “What happened to the monster?”

“The Skolopendra? It withdrew after it got a mouthful of fire.”

“What?”

“Leo’s work, I believe.”

“Ah.”

“Consider yourself lucky. They are nasty creatures. Keto must really hate you. At any rate, we rescued you and the other two from the creature’s tentacles as it retreated into the deep. Your friends are still above, searching for you, but we have obscured theri vision. We had to be sure you were not a threat. Otherwise we would have had to…take measures.”

“Right, not that I’m not grateful for the hospitality and all, but we’re sort of on a time table…”

“Soon,” Aphros promised. “I must check with Bythos. When he is done talking with your friend Leo, we will send you back to your ship. And we may have some warnings for you.”

“Warnings?”

“Ah.” Aphros pointed. Hazel emerged from the kelp forest, escorted by two mermaids who were laughing and hissing.

“Doctor!” Hazel paddled towards him. “Isn’t this place amazing?”

They were left alone at the ridge whilst the centaur and the mermaids went off to fetch Leo. The Doctor and Hazel floated above the hill and gazed down at the underwater camp.

Hazel told him how the mermaids had warmed up to her right away. Aphros and Bythos had been fascinated by her story, as they had never met a child of Pluto before. On top of that, they had heard many legends about the horse Arion, and they were amazed that Hazel had befriended him. Right. They had no interest in a literal alien, yet a horse was what captured their attention. Fine.

Hazel had promised to visit again with Arion. The mermaids had written their mobile numbers in waterproof ink on Hazel’s arm so that they could keep in touch. Finally, she looked up at the Doctor.

“Will you stop pouting?”

“I am  _ not _ .”

Hazel laughed. “You  _ so  _ are.”

“I’m a  _ Time Lord _ , Hazel! Yet they’re  _ so  _ fascinated with a silly little human!”

“This ‘silly little human’ can kick your ass if she wanted.”

The Doctor scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Would you now –”

“There you are!” Bythos voice said as he and Aphros floated over with Leo between them. “You are free to go,” He opened his saddlebags and returned their confiscated supplies.

“Tell Percy Jackson not to worry,” Aphros said. “We have understood your story about the imprisoned sea creatures in Atlanta. Keto and Phorcys must be stopped. We will send a quest of mer-heroes to defeat them and free their captives. Perhaps Cyrus?”

“Or Bill,” Bythos offered.

“Yes! Bill would be perfect,” Aphros agreed. “At any rate, we are grateful that Percy brought this to our attention.”

“You should talk to him in person,” Leo suggested. “I mean, son of Poseidon, and all.”

Both Ichthyocentaurs shook their heads solemnly. “Sometimes it is best not to interact with Poseidon’s brood,” Aphros said. “We are friendly with the sea god, of course; but the politics of undersea deities is…complicated. And we value our independence. Nevertheless, tell Percy thank you. We will do what we can to speed you safely across the Atlantic without further interference from Keto’s monsters, but be warned: in the ancient sea, the Mare Nostrum, more dangers await.”

Leo sighed. “Of course there is.”

“Stay close to your friends in Rome, Leo Valdez,” Bythos said. “I sense they will face…ah,  _ mechanical  _ difficulties that only you can overcome.”

“Mechanical difficulties?” Leo asked.

“As for you, Hazel,” Aphros said, “Come visit again, and bring that horse of yours! I know you are concerned about the time you lost, spending the night in our realm. You are worried about your brother, Nico…”

Hazel gripped her cavalry sword. “Is he – do you know where he is?”

Aphros shook his head. “Not exactly. But when you get closer, you should be able to sense his presence. Never fear! You must reach Rome the day after tomorrow if you are to save him, but there is still time. And you  _ must  _ save him.”

“Yes,” Bythos agreed. “He will be essential for your journey. I am not sure how, but I sense it is true.”

Aphros planted his hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. “Hold strong, Lord of Time. I sense much suffering in your past, and much more in your future.”

“Brilliant. Thanks for that.” The Doctor grumbled.

“And I have gifts for you, the brave captain of the  _ Argo II!”  _

Leo looked affronted. “Um, actually, I think you’ll find that I’m –”

“Brownies!” Aphros said proudly, shoving a picnic basket into the Doctor’s arms. It was surrounded by a bubble of air. “In this basket you will also find the recipe. Not too much butter! That’s the trick. And I’ve given you a letter of introduction to Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River. Once you reach Rome, your friend, the daughter of Athena, will need this.”

“Annabeth?” Leo asked. “Why?”

Bythos laughed. “She follows the Mark of Athena, doesn’t she? Tiberinus can guide her in this quest. He’s an ancient, proud god who can be…difficult; but letters of introduction are everything to Roman spirits. This will convince Tiberinus to help her. Hopefully.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor said.

Bythos then produced three small pink pearls from his saddlebags. “And now, off with you! Good sailing!”

He threw a pearl at each of them in turn, and three shimmering pink bubbles of energy formed around them.

They began to rise through the water, gaining speed, and rocketing them towards the distant glow of the sun above.


	15. A Meeting with Hercules

The three pink bubbles burst at the surface, just off the starboard bow of the  _ Argo II _ , ejecting the Doctor, Hazel, and Leo. Piper came sprinting towards them, jumping off the ship and paddling towards Leo. She kissed him on the cheek.

“Miss me?” Leo laughed.

“Where  _ were  _ you?” Piper demanded, suddenly furious. “How are you guys alive?”

“Long story.” Leo said. “Want a brownie?”

Once they got on board and changed into dry clothes, the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebrationatory breakfast – apart from Coach Hedge, that is, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. Whilst Leo fussed over his helm controls, the Doctor and Hazel relented the story of the Ichthyocentaurs and their training camp.

“Incredible,” Jason said. “These are  _ really  _ good brownies.”

“That’s your only comment?” Piper demanded.

He looked surprised. “What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies –”

“I know.” Frank said, his mouth full.

Percy seemed to want to hear every detail about the aquatic camp, but he kept coming back to one point: “They didn’t want to meet me?”

“It wasn’t that,” Hazel promised. “Just…undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they’re taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they’ll help protect the  _ Argo II  _ as we cross the Atlantic.”

Percy nodded absently. “But they didn’t want to meet me?”

Annabeth swatted his arm. “Come on, Seaweed Brain! We’ve got other things to worry about.”

“She’s right,” The Doctor agreed, “Nico’s got less than two days after today.”

He glared around the room as if daring someone to argue. No one did.

“The fish-centaurs said he’s essential to the quest somehow,” Hazel said, sending a grateful glance towards the Doctor. “”He must have information on the Doors of Death.”

“We’ll save him, Hazel.” Piper promised. “We can make it in time. Right, Leo?”

“What?” Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. “Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of the day sailing to Rome, or  _ flying  _ if the Doc and I can get the stabilizer fixed by then…”

Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie was full of salt. “Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him – at most.”

Percy crossed his legs. “And that’s only part of the problem. There’s the Mark of Athena, too.”

Annabeth didn’t seem all that happy with the change of subject. She rested her hand on her rucksack, which, since they left Charleston, she was never seen without.

She opened the bag and retrieved a thin bronze disk. The map. “This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It’s –”

She stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth bronze surface. “It’s blank!”

The Doctor picked it up and examined it.

“It wasn’t like this earlier?” Percy asked.

“Maybe not for Annabeth…” The Doctor murmured, scanning it with the Sonic.

“It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I’m alone or… Doctor? Could you see the Mark when we were in the garrison? I've never actually seen it when someone else was in the room.”

“Well, I’m –”

“Special, I know.” Annabeth rolled her eyes, a little more aggressively than she would usually. “But could you see them?”

“No, I couldn’t.”

Annabeth looked almost smug.

“Um, what did the map have on it?” Frank asked nervously. “Um, what  _ is  _ the Mark of Athena? I still don’t get it.”

Annabeth took the disk from the Doctor’s hands. She turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. “The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that’s where my quest starts…the path I’ve got to take to follow the Mark.”

“Maybe that’s where you meet the river god Tiberinus,” Piper suggested. “But what  _ is  _ the Mark?”

“The coin,” Annabeth murmured.

Percy frowned. “What coin?”

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. “I’ve been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It’s an Athenian coin.”

She passed it around. The Doctor examined it carefully. It had an owl with three Greek letters. “Alpha, theta, epsilon,” The Doctor murmured.  _ “‘The children of Athena.’” _

“It can also be read as  _ ‘Of the Athenians,’”  _ Annabeth nodded. “It’s sort of the Athenian motto.”

“Like SPQR for the Romans,” Piper guessed.

Annabeth nodded again. “Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I’ve seen it in my dreams, then twice at Fort Sumter.”

Annabeth explained what had happened in the garrison. As it turned out, it was the Mark that had incinerated the spiders. She explained how it was the Mark that had shown her were on the cannon the map was.

“I know the Doctor was there,” Percy said nervously, “But next time, I’m coming too. I can’t let you do this alone.”

“But that’s the point,” Annabeth said. “I  _ have  _ to be alone. No one can be there.”

Percy tried to protest. “But the Doctor –” 

“The Doctor is  _ not  _ coming with me.” Annabeth said, as she said his name she sounded disgusted.

“Okay,  _ what _ is going on between you two?” Percy asked, looking between the Doctor and Annabeth.

“Nothing.” They both said quickly.

Frank raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“Come on, if we’re gonna complete this quest, we’ve  _ got  _ to work together.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth said, looking at the Doctor. “Maybe we should, I don’t know,  _ trust  _ each other?”

“I  _ do!”  _

“No, you  _ say  _ you do.”

“Guys, guys!” Percy looked between the two of them, obviously torn. 

“Percy, don’t tell me you’re taking his side.”

“I’m not taking sides,” Percy said, “But if we want to do this thing, we need to work as a team.”

Annabeth huffed and grumbled a disingenuous apology.

“Great,” Percy said patiently. “Now, Doctor?”

“I really  _ am  _ sorry, Annabeth.” The Doctor said.

“Cool, so we’re all good now, right?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Annabeth said unconvincingly.

“So…the Mark.” Hazel moved on uncomfortably. “What’s your plan once you get to Rome?”

“I’ll strike out on my own.” Annabeth said. “I’ll have to follow the Mark to…to the source.”

Before Annabeth could respond, Jason spoke up.

“A statue,” He said. “A statue of Athena. At least…that’s my guess.”

Piper frowned. “You said you didn’t know.”

“I  _ don’t _ . But the more I think about it…there’s only one artifact that could fit the legend.” He turned to Annabeth. “I’m sorry. I should have told you everything I’ve heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true –”

“I know,” Annabeth said. “I figured it out, Jason. I don’t blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together…Don’t you see? It could heal the rift.”

“Hold on.” Percy made a  _ time-out  _ gesture.  _ “What _ statue?”

Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. “The Athena Parthenos,” She said. “The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens.”

“It disappeared only a thousand years after it was built,” The Doctor said. “I’ve always wanted to go see what happened to it.”

Leo frowned. “How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just  _ disappear?” _

“Some think the statue was taken to Constantinope and either melted down for its gold or otherwise destroyed.” The Doctor said.

“Athens was sacked a number of times.” Annabeth agreed reluctantly. “Some even think it could've been carried off by –”

“Romans,” Jason finished. “It’s certainly possible. It fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks’ spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally  _ stole  _ Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess.”

“And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since,” Annabeth said. “Most don’t know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They’re given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena…a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue…hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back.”

It was interesting to see Jason and Annabeth work together. Despite not knowing each other all that well, they really did work like a team, without any hostility or blame.

“So,” Percy said, “If we – I mean  _ you  _ – find the statue…what would we do with it? Could we even  _ move  _ it?”

“I’m not sure,” Annabeth admitted. “But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she’s got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe…maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants.”

“This could change everything.” Piper said. “It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can’t help you…”

“She can do it.” The Doctor said. “We’ve just got to get her to Rome.”

Annabeth gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything.

“I have to succeed.” She finally said. “The risk is worth it.”

Hazel twirled her hair pensively. “I don’t like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you’re right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created –”

“It could kick some serious booty,” Leo offered.

Hazel frowned. “That wasn’t the way  _ I’d  _ put it, but yes.”

“Except…” Percy took Annabeth’s hand. “No child of Athena has  _ ever  _ found it. Annabeth, what’s  _ down  _ there? What’s guarding it? If it’s got to do with spiders –”

_ “Won through pain from woven jail,”  _ Frank recalled. “Woven, like webs?”

Annabeth paled at the idea.

“We’ll deal with that when we get to Rome,” Piper suggested, looking concerned for Annabeth, “It’s going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You’ll see.”

“Yeah,” Percy said. “I learned a long time ago:  _ Never  _ bet against Annabeth.”

Annabeth looked around gratefully.

Leo pressed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus’s mouth, causing the demigods to jump.

“Well!” He said. “Good pep rally, but there’s still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Doctor, would you mind?”

“Not at all.” The Doctor made his way to the engine room, leaving the rest of them to receive their list of chores from Leo.

The ship was a lot more messed up than the Doctor had expected. It wasn’t until Leo dragged him off to the dining hall for dinner that he even left the room.

“So…What happened?” Leo asked.

“Hmm?” Dinner had finished a few hours ago and the Doctor had retreated back to his workspace, Leo accompanying him.

“With Annabeth. I know you said it’s nothing, but…You know.”

The Doctor nodded, sitting back against the wall and resting the Sonic in his lap.

“I overheard her and Frank talking – talking about me. Said I had no faith in them – and I  _ do.  _ I really do. But…” He shrugged helplessly. “Guess I don’t show it well. Thought if I told her I believed in her, she’d get it.”

“I still don’t get it,” Leo said. “If you told her you believe in her, why is she mad at you?”

“Well, I said it when we talked to Reyna, and after Annabeth wanted to know if I’d overheard and – well, I told her I had –”

“You  _ told  _ her?” Leo shook his head and  _ tisk- _ ed a couple of times. “Don’t tell girls that, man. They don’t want to hear that kind of stuff. You gotta make them think you figured it out all on your own.”

The Doctor scoffed. “Leo, I think I have a little more experience with this than you do.”

“C’mon man, it’s not like you’re married or anything – wait, you’re not married, right?”

The Doctor hesitated. “N-no. I don’t think so. Not yet anyways.”

Leo frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you less sure of yourself.”

The Doctor let out a breathy laugh. “It’s complicated.”

“Everything about you is complicated.”

“Comes with the Time Lord territory.”

There was a long uncomfortable pause.

“So…your people. Time Lords. What are they like?”

The Doctor smiled sadly. “A bloody stuffy bunch. No sense of style, all, ‘you shall not meddle with the forces of time’ and all that.”

Leo smirked. “No wonder you left.”

The Doctor’s sad smile faded. “Yeah. Something like that.”

The Doctor was jolted out of his working trance when a ship’s horn blasted so loud he could feel the vibrations.

He ran out onto the deck where all the demigods were hastily dressed – aside from Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.

Frank’s Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama trousers and a bronze breastplate, Hazel’s hair was all blown to one side, and Leo had accidently set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters and his arms were smoking.

About a hundred meters to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked all that surprised to see an ancient Greek trireme. Perhaps the Mist was making it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the  _ Argo II _ was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the  _ Argo II  _ had a shaking fit.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. “Do they have to be so loud?”

“They’re just saying hello.” The Doctor smiled at the ship.

“WHAT?” Coach Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it odd that the  _ Argo II  _ was populated by half-asleep teenagers in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn’t let on.

“Bye!” Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

“Can I man the ballista?” Coach Hedge asked eagerly.

“No.” The Doctor and Leo both said immediately.

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. “Where are – oh…Wow.”

The Doctor glanced to where she was looking and found that without the cruise ship blocking their view, they could see a mountain jutting from the sea less than a kilometer to the north. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over three hundred meters below. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest.

“The Rock of Gibraltar,” The Doctor said, impressed.

“At the tip of Spain.” Annabeth nodded. “Over there,” She pointed south to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. “That must be Africa. We’re at the mouth of the Mediterranean.”

“What now?” Piper asked. “Do we just sail in?”

“Why not?” Leo said. “It’s a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time.”

“In the old days,” Annabeth said, “they called this area the Pillars of Heracles. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one.”

“Heracles, huh?” Percy frowned. “That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn – there he is.”

A thunderous  _ boom  _ shook the  _ Argo II,  _ though the Doctor couldn’t quite see where it came from.

“So…” Piper said nervously. “These Pillars of Heracles. Are they dangerous?”

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. “For Greeks, the Pillars marked the end of the known world. The Roman said the Pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning –”

_ “Non plus ultra,”  _ Percy said.

Annabeth looked stunned. “Yeah.  _ Nothing Further Beyond.  _ How did you know?”

Percy pointed. “Because I’m looking at it.”

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Jutting from waves about a hundred meters offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the  _ Argo’s  _ masts. Between the columns, massive silver words glittered underwater:  _ NON PLUS ULTRA. _

“Guys, do I turn around?” Leo asked nervously. “Or…”

No one answered, most likely because they, like the Doctor, noticed the figure standing on the beach. As the ship approached the columns, she could see a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them. He looked to be in his Roman form, and he didn’t look happy.

Frank inhaled sharply. “Could that be –?”

“Hercules,” Jason said. “The most powerful demigod of all time.”

The  _ Argo II  _ was only a few hundred meters from the columns now.

“Need an answer,” Leo said urgently. “I can turn, or we can take off. The Doctor got the stabilizers working again. But I need to know quick –”

“I think we should talk to him.” The Doctor said.

Annabeth sighed. “As much as I hate to agree with the Doctor, we have to keep going. I think he’s guarding these straits. If that’s really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn’t do any good. He’ll want to talk to us.”

“Won’t Hercules be on our side?” Piper asked hopefully. “I mean…he’s one of us, right?”

Jason grunted. “He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods.”

“Great,” Percy said. “Eight of us against Hercules.”

“And a satyr!” Hedge added. “We can take him.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Annabeth said. “We send ambassadors ashore. A small group, two or three at most. Try to talk with him.

“I’ll go,” Jason volunteered. “He’s a son of Zeus. I’m the son of Jupiter. Maybe he’ll be friendly to me.”

“Or maybe he’ll hate you,” Percy suggested. “Half brothers don’t always get along.”

Jason scowled. “Thank you, Mr. Optimism.”

“I’ll go as well,” The Doctor said, “I’m a consultant on Olympus, he may be more willing to trust me.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Annabeth said. “But maybe it’s best if we have someone else. Maybe a better diplomat since you –”

“Hey,” Percy said. “I thought we were past this!”

“No, no, it’s fine,” The Doctor assured him. “Piper, how about you? We could seriously use your charmspeak.”

Piper looked terrified at the prospect. But one look at Jason, and her face was set in determination. “Let’s do it.” She glanced down. “Just let me change my clothes first.”

Once Leo had anchored the  _ Argo II  _ between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry him, the Doctor, and Piper ashore.

Hercules was waiting for them.

The god’s feet were bare, covered in white sand. His beard was scruffy, but not unkempt. He was well built, but not stocky. His ebony hair was close-cropped, Roman style. He had startling blue eyes, and his skin was coppery and tanned. He looked to be maybe twenty years old.

In the sand next to him, lay a large one and a half meter polished, cylinder mahogany club with a leather handgrip studded in bronze.

“‘Ello.” The Doctor greeted.

“What’s up?” Hercules said. His voice was deep, yet casual and modern.

“I’m the Doctor,” The Doctor started, “This, here, is Piper and Jason. We –”

“Where’s your lion skin?” Jason interrupted.

Piper face-palmed, but Hercules looked more amused than annoyed.

“It’s ninety degrees out here,” He said. “Why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach?”

“I guess that makes sense.” Jason sounded disappointed. “It’s just that the pictures always show you with a lion skin.”

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, as though he wanted to have some strong words with his father, Zeus. “Don’t believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn’t as fun as you might think.”

“Tell me about it.” Piper sighed.

Hercules fixed his eyes on her. “Are you famous?”

“My dad…he’s in the movies.”

Hercules snarled. “Don’t get me started with the movies – gods of Olympus, they never get  _ anything  _ right. Have you seen one movie about me where I look like me?”

“I’m surprised you’re so young.” Piper nodded.

“Ha! Being immortal helps. But, yes, I wasn’t so old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did a lot during my years as a hero…too much, really.” His eyes drifted to Jason. “Son of Zeus, eh?”

“Jupiter.” Jason corrected.

“Not much difference,” Hercules grumbled. “Dad’s annoying in either form. Me? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules. I didn’t really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches…”

The left side of his face twitched. His robes shimmered momentarily, turning white, then back to purple.

“At any rate,” Hercules said, “if you’re Jupiter’s son, you might understand. It’s a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually it can make a guy snap.”

He turned towards Piper. “As for you, my dear,” He said, “be careful. Sons of Zeus can be…well, never mind.”

“Right,” The Doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably. “We’re on a quest and would like to request permission to pass into the Mediterranean.”

Hercules shrugged. “That’s why I’m here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus. I said,  _ Great! Palace duty! Party all the time!  _ What he didn’t mention is that I’d be guarding the doors to the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun.”

He pointed at the pillars rising from the surf. “Stupid columns. Some people claim I created the whole Strait of Gibraltar by shoving mountains apart. Some people say the mountains  _ are  _ the pillars. What a bunch of Augean manure. The pillars are  _ pillars. _ ”

“Right,” Piper said. “Naturally. So…can we pass?”

The god scratched his beard. “Well, I have to give you the standard warning about how dangerous the ancient lands are. Not just any demigod can survive the Mare Nostrum. Because of that, I have to give you a quest to complete. Prove your worth, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I don’t make a big deal of it. Usually I give demigods something simple like a shopping trip, singing a funny song, that sort of thing. After all those labors I had to complete for my evil cousin Eurystheus, well…I don’t want to be  _ that guy,  _ you know?”

“Appreciate it,” Jason said.

“Hey, no problem.” Hercules said. “So anyway, what’s your quest?”

“We need to go to Greece so we can stop the giants from awakening Gaea.” The Doctor explained.

“Giants,” Hercules muttered. “I hate those guys. Back when I was a demigod hero…ah, but never mind. So which god put you up to this – Dad? Athena? Maybe Aphrodite.” He raised an eyebrow at Piper. “As pretty as you are, I’m guessing that’s your mom.”

Piper seemed to freeze, bewildered.

“Hera sent us,” Jason said, taking a subtle step towards Piper. “She brought us together to –”

“Hera.” Suddenly, Hercules’s expression was solid and cold.

“Yeah, she’s not our favorite either.” The Doctor grumbled.

“She’s the worst.” Piper nodded. ‘We didn’t want to help her. She didn’t give us much choice, but –”

“But here you are,” Hercules said, all the friendliness gone. “Sorry you three. I don’t care how worthy your quest is. I don’t do  _ anything  _ Hera wants. Ever.”

Jason looked mystified. “But I thought you made up with her when you became a god.”

“Like I said,” Hercules grumbled. “Don’t believe everything you hear. If you want to pass into the Mediterranean, I’m afraid I’ve got to give you an extra-hard quest.”

“But we’re like brothers,” Jason protested. “Hera’s messed with my life too, I understand –”

“You understand nothing,” Hercules said coldly. “My first family: dead. My life wasted on ridiculous quests. My second wife dead, after being tricked into poisoning me and leaving me to a painful demise. And my compensation? I got to become a  _ minor  _ god. Immortal, so I can never forget my pain. Stuck here as a gatekeeper, a doorman, a…a butler who understands me even a little bit is Dionysus. And at least  _ he  _ invented something useful. I have nothing to show except abad film adaptations of my life.”

“I understand, Hercules,” The Doctor said carefully, “More than you know. But if we don’t stop Gaea from waking –”

Hercules held up a hand to silence the Doctor. “On the opposite side of the island, over those hills, you’ll find a river.” He said. “In the middle of that river lives the old god Achelous.”

Hercules waited, as if this information should send them fleeing in terror.

And…?” Jason asked.

_ “And,”  _ Hercules said, “I want you to break off his other horn and bring it to me.”

“He has horns,” Jason said. “Wait…his  _ other  _ horn? What –?”

“Hercules tore off one of his horns when they were fighting over the river nymph Deianeira.” The Doctor explained quickly.

Piper stared at him. “But how –”

“Figure it out,” the god snapped. “Here, this should help.”

He said the word  _ help  _ almost painfully. As if he had meant to say  _ hurt. _ From beneath his robes, Hercules took a small book and tossed it to Piper. She barely caught it. 

The Doctor gestured for it, and Piper handed it to him. The book was bound, and the glossy cover showed a photographic montage of Greek temples and smiling monsters. The Minotaur was giving a thumbs-up. The title read:  _ The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum. _

“Bring me that horn by sundown.” Hercules said. “Just the three of you. No contacting your friends. Your ship will remain where it is. If you succeed, you may pass into the Mediterranean.”

The Doctor looked at him, unconvinced. “And if we don’t?”

“Well, Achelous will kill you, obviously,” Hercules said. “And I will break your ship in half with my bare hands and send your friends to an early grave.”

Well, that settled it.

Jason shifted his feet. “Couldn’t we just sing a funny song?”

“I’d get going,” Hercules said coldly. “Sundown. Or your friends are dead.”


	16. Achelous the River Deity

The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum wasn’t actually all that helpful. Especially when the most fearsome beasts of the island were snakes and mosquitoes.

“If this is a magic island,” Piper grumbled, “Why couldn’t it be a  _ nice  _ magic island?”

They tromped up a hill and down into a heavily wooded valley, careful to avoid the black and red striped snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Mosquitoes swarmed over stagnant ponds in the lowest areas. The trees were mostly stunted olives, cypress, and pines.

So far they hadn’t found any river.

“We could fly,” Jason suggested again.

The Doctor shook his head. “We’re bound to miss things.”

“Not to mention, I’m not sure we should be dropping in on an unfriendly god.” Piper agreed. “What was his name? Etch-a-Sketch?”

“Achelous.” The Doctor said.

“Says here he’s a  _ potamus. _ ” Jason said, trying to read the guidebook as they walked.

“He’s a hippopotamus?” Piper asked.

“A Potamus is a river god,” The Doctor said.

Jason nodded, eyes not wavering from the book. “According to this, he’s the spirit of some river in Greece.”

“Since we’re not in Greece, let's assume he’s moved,” Piper said. “Doesn’t bode well for how useful that book is going to be. Anything else?”

“If you ask me, that book’s a load of rubbish.” The Doctor grumbled.

“Says here this island has no hotels, no restaurants, no transportation. Attractions: Hercules and two pillars. Huh, this is interesting. Supposedly the dollar sign – you know, the S with the two lines through it? – that came from the Spanish coat of arms, which showed the Pillars of Hercules with a banner curling between them.”

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully. “Does it say anything else?”

“Uh…” Jason flipped a page, shaking his head. “Nah, just the story you told us earlier about the nymph, what did you say her name was? Darya?”

“Deianira.” The Doctor corrected.

“It doesn’t say here…” Jason looked over the pages again. “Do you know what happened to her?”

“She killed herself.” The Doctor said. “After Nessus – a centaur – tricked her into poisoning Hercules.”

“Oh.”

They trudged across a ridge between two hills, trying to keep to the shade; they were already soaked with perspiration and covered in welts from mosquitoes.

Suddenly, the Doctor froze, putting his hands out in front of the others. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“Running water…” The Doctor murmured.

The three of them crept through the trees and found themselves on the bank of a river. It was about twelve meters wide, but only several centimeters deep. A silver sheet of water racing over a smooth bed of stones. A few meters downstream, the rapids plunged into a dark blue swimming hole.

Something about the river didn’t feel quite right. The cicadas in the trees had gone quiet. No birds were chirping. The river roared, but all else was silent.

The more he listened, the more inviting the river felt. Like the river was calling for him to go soak in its waters.

The Doctor exchanged a look with Piper, who also seemed to notice the nature of the river. To their left, Jason sat down on a rock and began taking off his shoes. He grinned at the swimming hole like he couldn’t wait to get in.

The Doctor glared at the river. “Oi, cut that out, will you?”

Jason looked at him with a warily. “Uh…Cut what out?”

“He doesn’t mean you.” Piper said. “He means him.” She pointed at the water.

“Um…” Jason looked confused, but before he could get out another word, the river spoke:

_ “Forgive me. Singing is one of the few pleasures I have left.” _

A figure emerged from the swimming home hole as if rising on a lift.

He was a bull with the face of a human. His skin was blue as the water, his hooves levitated on the river's surface. At the top of his bovine neck was the head of a man with short curly black hair, a beard done in ringlets, his eyes deep and mournful behind bifocal glasses. His mouth seemed to be set in a permanent pout. Sprouting from the left side of his head was a single bull’s horn – a curved black and white horn. The imbalance made his head tilt to the left slightly so he looked perpetually confused.

“Hello,” he said sadly. “Come kill me, I suppose.”

Jason put his shoes back on and stood slowly. “Um, well –”

“We’ve been sent by Hercules.” The Doctor cut in.

“Hercules!” The part-bull, part-man sighed. His hooves pawed the water as if preparing to charge. “To me he’ll always be Heracles. That’s his Greek name, you know:  _ the glory of Hera. _ ”

“Funny name,” Jason said. “Since he hates her.”

“Well, his original name was Alcaeus.” The Doctor said knowledgeably. “But he was renamed Heracles in a desperate attempt to please Hera. It didn’t work – obviously.”

“Let me guess, you were there for that.” Piper sighed. “I wouldn’t expect any less. No wait – he was an alien, wasn’t he?”

“No, no, human – well, partially god – as can be. And I wasn’t there.”

“Then how do you know?”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Nine hundred years of time and space, Piper. I do a lot of reading.”  
“Oh.”

“Anyway…” The creature looked a little confused. “Perhaps that’s why he didn’t protest when the Romans renamed him Hercules. Of course, that’s the name most people know him by…his  _ brand,  _ if you will. Hercules is nothing but image-conscious.”

He spoke with a powerful familiarity.

“You’re Achelous?” Piper asked.

The river god bent his front legs and lowered his head into a bow. ”At your service. River god extraordinaire. Once the spirit of the mightiest river in Greece. Now sentenced to dwell here, on the opposite side of the island from my old enemy. Oh, the gods are cruel! But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, I have never been sure.”

The Doctor could still hear the river calling to him. He glanced over at Piper and Jason. “Will you stop with the singing? They’re only human, you know.”

Achelous laughed. “And you are otherwise?”

“I’m the Doctor,” The Doctor greeted, “And this is Piper and Jason.”

“We’ve come for your other horn.” Piper piped up.

She explained their quest to the ancient lands to stop waking Gaea. How the team of Greeks and Romans had come together, and how Hercules had sent them to get the river god’s horn when he found out Hera was behind it. 

Once he finished, Achelous regarded Piper regretfully. “Ah, my dear…the legends are true, you know. The spirits, the water cannibals.”

Piper stared in terror. “H-how –?”

“River gods know many things,” he said. “Alas, you are focusing on the wrong story. If you had made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better.”

“Piper?” Jason asked. “What’s he talking about?”

“I – I’m not sure,” Piper said, “Achelous, I don’t understand –”

“No, you don’t,” the river god sympathized. “Poor thing. Another girl stuck with a son of Zeus.”

“Wait a minute,” Jason said. “It’s Jupiter, actually. And how does that make her a  _ poor thing?” _

Achelous ignored him. “My girl, do you know the cause of my fight with Hercules?”

“Um, the Doctor told us on the way over. It was over a woman, Deianira wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Achelous ignored him. “And do you know what happened to her?”

“Uh – the Doctor said she killed herself…after accidentally killing Hercules.”

The river god nodded sadly.

“She was promised to me, you know – that was, until Hercules butted in. The beautiful Princess of Calydon… He insisted on combat for her.”

“And he broke off your horn.” Jason nodded.

“Yes,” Achelous said. “I could never forgive him for that. Horribly uncomfortably, having only one horn. But the situation was worse for poor Deianira. She could have had a long happy life married to me.”

“A man-headed bull,” Piper said, “who lives in a river.”

“Exactly,” Achelous agreed. “It seems impossible she would refuse, eh? Instead, she went off with Hercules. She picked the handsome, flashy hero over the good, faithful husband who would have treated her well. What happened next? Well, she should have known. Hercules was much too wrapped up in his own problems to be a good husband. He had already murdered one wife, you know. Hera cursed him, so he flew into a rage and killed his entire family. Horrible business. That’s why he had to do those twelve labors as penance.”

“Wait…” Piper said, sounding appalled. “Hera  _ made  _ him crazy, and  _ Hercules _ had to do penance?”

“The Olympians never seem to pay for their crimes.” Achelous shrugged. “And Hera has always hated the sons of Zeus…or Jupiter.” He glanced distrustfully at Jason. “At any rate, my poor Deianira had a tragic end. She became jealous of Hercules’s many affairs. He gallivanted all over the world, you see, just like his father Zeus, flirting with every woman he met. Finally, Deianira got so desperate she listened to bad advice. A crafty centaur named Nessus told her that if she wanted Hercules to be faithful forever, she should spread some centaur blood on the inside of Hercules’s favorite shirt. Unfortunately, Nessus was lying because he wanted to get revenge on Hercules. Deianira followed his instructions, but instead of making Hercules a faithful husband –”

“Centaur blood is like acid,” Jason said.

“Yes,” Achelous nodded. “Hercules died a painful death. When Deianira realized what she’d done, well…You know the rest.”

“That’s awful,” Piper said.

“And the moral, my dear?” Achelous said. “Beware the sons of Zeus.”

“Don’t judge a person by their parents, Achelous,” The Doctor warned. “Especially if they were not raised by them.”

Achelous gave a short laugh, but didn’t bother arguing with the Doctor.

“Hercules is a god now,” He said, “He married Hebe, the youth goddess, but still he is rarely at home. He dwells here on this island, guarding those silly pillars. He says Zeus  _ makes  _ him do this, but I think he prefers being here to Mount Olympus, nursing his bitterness and mourning his mortal life. My presence reminds him of his failures – especially the woman who finally killed him. And  _ his  _ presence reminds me of poor Deianira, who could have been my wife.

“Hercules wants my other horn in order to humiliate me,” Achelous sighed. “Perhaps it would make him feel better about himself, knowing that I’m miserable too. Besides, the horn would become a cornucopia. Good food and drink would flow from it, just as my power causes the river to flow. No doubt Hercules would keep the cornucopia for himself. It would be a tragedy and a waste.”

Jason stirred. “I’m sorry, Achelous. Honestly, you’ve gotten a bum deal. But maybe…well, without the other horn, you might not be lopsided. It might feel better.”

“Jason!” Piper protested.

Jason held up his hands in surrender. “Just a thought. Besides, I don’t see that we have many choices. If Hercules doesn’t get that horn, he’ll kill us and our friends.”

“He’s right,” Achelous said. “You have no choice. Which is why I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Piper frowned. “Forgive you for what?”

“I have no choice either,” Achelous said. “I have to stop you.”

The river exploded, and a wall crashed over the Doctor and pulled him under.

The Doctor did his best not to panic. He looked around frantically, searching for Jason and Piper. All he could see was the bubbles that were erupting around him.

Then, just as fast as he’d been pulled under, he was thrust to the surface, finding himself at the center of a whirlpool, able to breathe, but not break free.

A few meters away, Jason broke the surface as well, gasping, sword in one hand, swinging wildly but unable to strike anything. A few more meters from him, Piper popped up as well.

Five meters to the Doctor’s right, Achelous rose from the water. “I’m really sorry about this.”

Jason lunged towards him, summoning the winds to lift him out of the river, but Achelous was quicker and more powerful. A curl of water slammed into Jason and sent him under once more.

“Achelous!” The Doctor called, “You don’t have to do this, we can find another way!”

Jason clawed his way to the surface again. A miniature storm cloud formed over his head and thunder boomed.

“None of that, son of Jupiter,” Achelous chided. “If you call lightning, you’ll just electrocute your friends.”

The water pulled Jason back under.

“Let him go!” The Doctor called, “We can find another way!”

Achelous ignored him.

“Wait!” Piper cried, “We can promise not to let Hercules get the horn!”

Achelous hesitated. He cantered over towards her, his head tilted to the left. “I believe you mean that.”

“I do!” Piper promised. “Hercules is despicable. But, please, first let my friends go.”

The water churned where Jason had gone under, but didn’t send him back up.

Achelous looked down at Piper through his bifocals. His expression softened. “I see. You would be my Deianira. You would be my bride to compensate for my loss.”

“What?” Piper stared at him. “Uh, actually I was thinking –”

“Oh, I see, you are too modest to suggest this in front of your friends –”

The Doctor was dunked beneath the water.

A little ways away, Jason glanced over at the Doctor. His face was turning purple, but he still waved a little uncomfortably.

The Doctor could see Piper’s feet lift out of the water. He sincerely hoped that was a good sign.

Just as it looked like Jason was about to pass out, both he and the Doctor were catapulted out of the water, breaking through the branches of an olive tree and tumbling onto the grass.

Piper was on top of Achelous, her ankles wrapped around his neck, one arm around his throat, and her knife pressed beneath his chin.

The Doctor stumbled to his feet and hurried over to where Jason was gasping and coughing on the ground. Jason raised his sword and the dark clouds thickened over the river.

“Not yet,” The Doctor said, “We’ve got to wait for Piper to get out of the river.”

Achelous arched his back as if contemplating a trick. Piper pressed the knife harder against his throat.

“Be a good bull,” She warned.

“You promised,” Achelous said through gritted teeth. “You promised Hercules wouldn’t get my horn.”

“And he won’t,” Piper said. “But I will.”

She raised her knife and slashed off the god’s horn. The Celestial bronze cut through the base smoothly. Achelous bellowed in rage. Before he could recover, Piper stood up on his back, and with the horn in one hand and her dagger in the other, she leapt for the shore.

“Jason!” She yelled.

Jason understood. A gust of wind caught her and carried her safely over the bank. Piper hit the ground, rolling.

With a massive  _ BOOM!  _ Lightning stirred the water, steaming and hissing with electricity.

Achelous wailed and dissolved beneath the surface, looking absolutely horrified.

“Run!” The Doctor shouted.

The three of them sprinted. Piper was crying, Jason was shaking, and the Doctor was pulling them deeper into the woods.

They didn’t slow until they reached the crest of the hill. Piper was sobbing now as she explained what had happened whilst the boys were under.

“He wanted to marry me to replace Deianira.” Piper said. “He wanted to let you drown. So I – I asked him to lift me up. He did, and I kind of, well, it was kind of a blur, I just kind of just swung my body up on top of him and held my blade to his throat.”

“And he let us go, just like that?” Jason frowned. “Couldn’t he have just, I dunno, turn into water or just push you under or something?”

Piper shrugged helplessly.

“I didn’t – I didn’t want to hurt him. I just…” She started crying again.

“Piper,” Jason put his hand on her shoulder. “You had no choice. You saved my life.”

Piper wiped her eyes messily.

“Achelous forced your hand.” Jason went on. “Besides, I doubt that lightning bolt killed him. He's an ancient god. You’d have to destroy his river to destroy him. And he can live without a horn. If you had to lie about not giving it to Hercules, well –”

“I wasn’t lying.”

Jason stared at her. “Pipes…we don’t have a choice. Doctor, tell her, Hercules will kill –”

“Hercules doesn’t deserve this.” Piper said, her voice filling with anger. She took a deep breath and smiled, “I have a plan.”

Hercules was waiting right where they’d left him. He was staring at the  _ Argo II,  _ docked between the pillars as the sun set behind it.

Piper wasn’t looking so confident anymore, but they’d already sent an Iris-message to Leo. There was no turning back now.

Hercules didn’t exactly brighten when he saw the Doctor carrying the bull’s horn – that was the Doctor’s only condition – but his scowl lines lessened.

“Good,” he said. “You got it. In that case, you are free to go.”

“Right, brilliant. We’ve got permission, then?” The Doctor asked, “Our ship can pass into the Mediterranean?”

“Yes, yes.” Hercules snapped his fingers. “Now, the horn.”

“Yeah, no. You’re not getting this.” The Doctor said casually.

_ “Excuse me?” _

“See, we made a promise that I intend to keep. Trust me, Achelous isn’t my favorite deity, not by a long shot, but neither are you. You are cruel and unjust. We’re not going to fight you, Hercules. We’re going to leave. We took his horn, but you cannot have it.”

Hercules stared at the Doctor in shock. “You realize I could kill you with a flick of my finger. I could throw my club at your ship and cut straight through its hull. I could –”

“Yes, yes, you could cut me in half, you could pull my bones apart, but you won’t.”

“What makes you think I won’t?” Hercules scoffed. “You would not be the first demigod I’ve killed.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not a demigod, then.” The Doctor said. “So we’re just going to leave this island with the horn. Piper, here, you can have it.” The Doctor tossed the horn to Piper – if Hercules was going to kill anyone, it would now be the Doctor, not the holder of the horn.

Piper grinned. “Thanks, Doctor. I’ll keep it to remind me of what  _ not  _ to be like as a demigod, and to remind me of poor Achelous and Deianira.”

The god’s nostrils flared. “Do  _ not  _ mention that name! You will not leave this island alive!”

“Sorry,” Piper said. “I’m going to have to disagree.”

She pointed the mouth of the hrn at Hercules. She closed her eyes, focusing on the best of memories. For once, the Doctor was very grateful for Piper taking over this bit. As much as he’d hate to admit it, he wasn’t quite sure he could do this had she not.

The horn blasted forth a flood of food, powerful as Achelous’s river. A torrent of fresh fruit, baked goods, and smoked hams completely buried Hercules.

Hercules was shrieking and struggling underneath.

“Jason!” The Doctor called. The son of Jupiter seemed to have forgotten his part of the plan, staring in amazement at the fruit pile.

He grabbed the Doctor and Piper and summoned the wind. They shot away from the island. Behind them, the Doctor could see Hercules’s head break through the mound of food. Half a coconut was stuck on his head like a helm. “Kill!” He bellowed.

Jason touched down on the deck of the  _ Argo II.  _ Thankfully, Leo had done his part. The ship’s oars were already in aerial mode. The anchor was up. Jason summoned a gale so strong, it pushed them into the sky, whilst Percy sent a three meter tall wave against the shore, knocking Hercules down a second time, in a cascade of seawater and pineapples.

By the time the god regained his footing and started lobbing coconuts at them from far below, the  _ Argo II  _ was already sailing through the clouds above the Mediterranean.


	17. The Son of an Old Foe

The  _ Argo II  _ managed to escape the Pillars of Hercules unscathed apart from a few coconuts lodged in the hull’s bronze plating, but they were far from in the clear. Several times an hour, the ship would be attacked. A flock of Stymphalian birds swooped from the night sky, and Festus torched them. Storm spirits swirled around the mast, and Jason blasted them with lightning. Whilst Coach Hedge was having dinner on the foredeck, a wild pegasus appeared, stampeded over the coach’s enchiladas, and flew off again, leaving cheesy hoof prints all across the deck.

“Hey Doctor.” Jason joined the Doctor on the deck that evening. Everyone else had retreated to their bunks – apart from Leo, that is, who was still at the helm.

“Brilliant job today, Jason.” The Doctor grinned at him. 

“Yeah, thanks…” Jason sounded a little nervous. “Um, I was just thinking…Before, you were saying stuff about not judging a person like their parents…”

“Yeah?”

“Uh, I guess it just made me wonder…Are – are you like your parents?”

“Oh…” The Doctor was startled for a moment, but quickly covered it up with a sad smile. “No, no, not at all…Bit of a disappointment, me.”

Jason looked genuinely surprised.

“What were your parents like, then?” He asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“I do, actually.”

“O-oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean –”

The Doctor waved him off.

The two boys stood on the deck, staring into the Medaterranian for a long time.

“Why don’t you ever talk about yourself?” Jason finally asked. 

“I talk plenty –”

“I mean, your friends, your family, your home?”

The Doctor glared at him. “Why are you asking me now?”

“Woah, woah, man.” Jason held his hands up in surrender. “I just feel like we don’t know you very well.”

“You know me plenty well,” The Doctor scoffed. “More than most, certainly.”

“Yeah, but like, that’s not saying much, is it?”

The Doctor shrugged.

“You should get some rest, Jason.”

Jason nodded, glancing at his shoes. “Yeah…”

The boy made his way down below deck, glancing at the Doctor as he descended.

It wasn’t long, though, that Coach Hedge began yelling at the Doctor about the curfew, and he decided that this wasn’t worth fighting. But as he approached his bunk, he could hear Percy shifting restlessly in his own bed. 

Quietly, so as not to alert Coach Hedge, the Doctor slipped into Percy’s room and entered his dream.

Percy and the Doctor were in a dark cavern. The room was vast, but it was so dark that the Doctor could only see a meter or two in front of him. The sound of dripping water echoed nearby off distant walls, and the current of the air indicated that the roof was high, high above.

The Doctor then heard the heavy footsteps of Ephialtes and Otis. The twin giants shuffled out from the gloom, dressed identically in matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with V-necks that touched mid-torso. A dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts, and their shoes were open-toed sandals revealing that they did indeed have snakes for feet. The straps wrapped around the serpents’ necks, their heads curled up where the toes should be. The snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their golden eyes in every direction.

The giants stood before the boys, but paid them no attention. Instead, they gazed up into the darkness.

“We’re here,” Ephialtes announced. Despite his booming voice, the words dissipated in the cavern.

Far above, something answered, “Yes. I can see that. Those outfits are hard to miss.”

The voice sent chills down the Doctor’s spine. The voice sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. Each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones. Had he not been the one to dispose of – no, murder – the species himself, the Doctor would have assumed she was Racnoss.

It wasn’t Gaea, that was for sure, but whoever it was, she was bad news. Even the twin giants became nervous, shifting on their snakes and bobbing their heads respectfully.

“Of course, Your Ladyship,” Ephialtes said. “We bring news of –”

“Why are you dressed like that?” The thing in the dark asked.

Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. “My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately –”

“You said  _ I  _ was the knife thrower today,” Otis protested.

“I said  _ I  _ was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don’t want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching.”

Her Ladyship made a series of violent hisses that sounded to be laughter.

“How long?” She asked.

“They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think,” Ephialtes said. “Of course, they’ll have to get past the golden boy.”

He sneered. Clearly  _ golden boy  _ was not his favorite person.

“I hope they arrive safely,” Her Ladyship said. “It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Otis stepped forth, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared beneath his left snake.

“Careful, you dolt!” Her Ladyship snarled. “Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?”

Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. 

Instead of solid stone as the Doctor had assumed, it appeared that the floor was made like a glacier – solid in some places, not so much in others. 

“There is little left holding this place together,” Her Ladyship cautioned. “Except, of course, my own skill. Centuries of Athena’s rage can only be contained so well, and the great Earth Mother churns below us in her sleep. Between those two forces, well…my nest has quite eroded. We must hope this child of Athena proves to be a worthy victim. She may be my last plaything.”  
Ephialtes gulped, keeping his eyes trained on the crack in the floor. “Soon it will not matter, Your Ladyship. Gaea will rise, and we all will be rewarded. You will no longer have to guard this place, or keep your works hidden.”

“Perhaps,” Her Ladyship said. “But I will miss the sweetness of my revenge. We have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?”

The twins bowed. The coins glittered in Ephialtes’s hair. It was then that the Doctor realized exactly what those silver coins were. They were just like Annabeth’s coin. Centuries worth of children of Athena had wielded those coins. None of them had ever returned from their quest. And now he knew why.

“Uh, Your Ladyship,” Ephialtes said nervously. “I would remind you that Gaea wishes the girl to be taken alive. You can torment her. Drive her insane. Whatever you wish, of course. But her blood must be spilt on the ancient stones.”

Her Ladyship hissed. “Others could be used for that purpose.”

“Y-yes,” Ephialtes said. “But  _ this  _ girl is preferred. And the boy – the son of Poseidon. You can see why those two would be most suited for the task.”

The Doctor and Percy exchanged a look.

“We will see,” Her Ladyship grumbled. “Leave me now. Tend to your own preparations. You will have your spectacle. And I…I will work in darkness.”

The dream dissolved, and the Doctor woke to Jason knocking on the door. He looked utterly exhausted.

“I’m sure whatever you’re doing right now is important,” He said, “But we’ve just set down in the water. Your turn.”   
  


Despite being four in the morning, the Doctor and Percy both agreed that this was information Annabeth ought to know, so soon the three of them stood on the deck. The Doctor had convinced Leo to go to sleep as long as he took the wheel, which he was more than happy to do.

The weather was miserable with fog so thick, the Doctor could barely see past Festus at the end of the prow, and warm drizzle hung in the air. It felt like he was back in London.

The Doctor and Percy explained the dream to Annabeth, whilst she nodded along, shockingly unsurprised.

“Look guys,” She said once they’d finished. “You have to promise me you won’t tell the others about this dream?”

The Doctor frowned as Percy cried, “Don’t  _ what?  _ Annabeth –”

“What you saw was about the Mark of Athena,” She said. “It won’t help the others to know. It’ll only make them worry, and it’ll make it harder for me to go off on my own.”

“Annabeth, you can’t be serious.” Percy insisted, “That thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor –”

“I know.” Her face looked unnaturally pale. “But I have to do this alone.”

The Doctor studied the girl.

“You know what’s in the cavern, don’t you?”

Annabeth nodded wordlessly.

“It has to do with spiders, doesn’t it?”

She nodded again.

The Doctor considered this for a long moment.

“You’ve come a long way from when I first met you, Annabeth.” He decided. “I promise I won’t tell.”

Annabeth looked at her boyfriend. “Percy?”

Percy didn’t respond. He didn’t look so sure.

  
“We’re not far from the Italian coast,” Percy said to break the silence. “Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber.”

“Good,” Annabeth said. “By daybreak, we should –”

“Stop.” Percy said suddenly. “Doctor, stop!”

The Doctor frowned, flicking controls and dials to stop the ship, but it was too late. The other boat appeared from the fog and rammed them head-on. Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the  _ Argo II _ . Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull’s planks.”

“Well, that’s not good.” The Doctor said.

Percy stared at him. “Well no shi –”

“Percy, the alarm bell!” Annabeth cried.

Percy sounded the bell and the three made a dash onto the deck. Percy raised Riptide, ready to fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered for physical combat. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around them, wisely keeping out of striking distance of Percy’s sword.

They kept the Doctor, Annabeth, and Percy contained whilst more of their comrades flooded belowdecks and secured the hull. The Doctor could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with the others. Even if the other demigods hadn’t been asleep, they were much too outnumbered.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be human, but the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor – sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs – and everything was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade, was gold instead of bronze.

This was clearly the golden boy.

The one thing that was quite unnerving, was the helm. His visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon’s head – curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. The likeness was good – a bit too good for the Doctor’s taste.

“‘Ello, then.” The Doctor said cheerily.

Percy rolled his eyes. “Who are you and what do you want?”

The golden boy chuckled. With a flick of his blade, he smacked Riptide out from Percy’s grip and sent it flying into the sea. Percy stared at him. He’d never been disarmed so easily.

“Hello, brother.” The golden boy’s voice was rich with a Middle Eastern accent. “Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want…” He turned his metal mask towards Annabeth. “Well, that’s easy. I want everything you have.”

Chrysaor walked back and forth, inspecting the Doctor, Annabeth, and Percy like prized cattle. A dozen of his warriors stayed in a ring around them, spears leveled at their chests, whilst dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing about belowdecks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs, another an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

“Careful with that!” Annabeth warned. “It’ll blow up both our ships.”

“Ha!” Chrysaor said. “We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don’t worry. We’ve been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons.”

“Your accent sounds familiar,” Percy said. “Have we met?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure.” Chrysaor’s golden gorgon mask snarled at the boy. “But I’ve heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus and his faithful sidekicks; the Doctor and Annabeth Chase.”

“Oi!”

“I’m nobody’s sidekick,” Annabeth growled. “Neither is the Doctor. And Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey.”

Percy frowned. “I’m pretty sure that accent isn’t New Jersey. Who’s his –? Oh.”

Realization dawned on Percy’s face. Aunty Em’s Garden Gnome Emporium – the lair of Medusa. Percy had decapitated her.

_ “Medusa  _ is your mom?” Percy gaped. “Dude, that sucks for you.”

Chrysaor began to growl. “You are as arrogant as the  _ first  _ Perseus,” He said. “But, yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom…” The golden mask turned on Annabeth. “That would be  _ your  _ mother, I believe…Medusa’s two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa’s head –”

“Two children sprang forth,” The Doctor nodded. “Chrysaor and Pegasus.”

Percy blinked. “So your brother is a winged horse. But you’re also my half-brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are my –”

“Half-brothers? Yes.” The Doctor said.

“Wait,” Percy said, “If you're Medusa’s kid, why haven’t I ever heard of you?”

Chrysaor gave an exasperated sigh. “When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten.”

“You don’t have to do this, Chrysaor,” The Doctor said. “I know you weren’t written about, but tell me your story. Tell it to me, and I can ensure you are remembered for centuries.”

Chrysaor considered this.

“I was the first to ever wield Enchanted gold –”

“Enchanted?” Percy asked.

“Later on the Romans called it Imperial gold, but to me it will always be Enchanted gold.” Chrysaor explained. “I was the first to wield such a blade – I should have been the most famous hero of all time! But the legend-tellers didn’t tell of me. So I decided: if they wouldn’t tell stories of a hero, they would tell stories of a villain. I resolved to put my heritage to use and create my own legesy. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!”

“So you became a pirate.” The Doctor nodded along.

Chrysaor spread his arms, “The  _ best  _ pirate. I’ve sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine.”

One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below deck.

“Let me go, you tuna fish!” Coach Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior, but his hoof clanged off his captor’s armor. If the plethora of hoof-shaped prints in the dolphin’s breastplate and armor said anything, the coach had already made several attempts.

“Ah, a satyr,” Chrysaor mused. “A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up.”

“I’m nobody’s goat meat!” Coach Hedge protested.

“Gag him as well,” Chrysaor decided.

“Why you gilded little –” Coach Hedge’s insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth. Soon, the coach was trussed and dumped with the other loot – crates of food, extra weapons, the magical ice chest from the dining hall.

“Chrysaor, you don’t have to do this, I can help you.” The Doctor insisted.

Chrysaor laughed. “And how could you help me? I already told you, I made my own legacy.”

“What if I can offer you something better?”

“I’m intrigued.” Chrysaor said. “Go on.”

“I’m worth twice the contents of this ship, easy.” The Doctor said. “Take me, and let the rest go.”

“Doctor!” Percy shouted.

“You’re such an idiot!” Annabeth cried.

Chrysaor grinned. “Tie him up.”

“And the rest?” One of the dolphin warriors inquired.

“Take them too.”

“We had a deal!” The Doctor shouted as the warriors bound his arms and legs.

Chrysaor laughed cruelly. “You really must be dumber than you look.” He said. “You didn’t match my price. You doubled it.”

The Doctor stared for a moment, dumbfounded. “Wait –”

“Gag him.” Chrysaor said flippantly. 

The Doctor could feel the greasy wad of canvas shoved into his mouth.

“You can’t do this!” Annabeth shouted.

Chrysaor’s laugh reverberated inside his golden face mask. “I can do anything I want. My warriors have ben trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat –”

“Dolphins,” Percy noted.

Chrysaor shrugged. “Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned  _ completely  _ into dolphins. Others went mad. But these…these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!”

“But Dionysus, sir…” One of the dolphins pointed out. 

“Yes, yes,” Chrysaor growled. “They fear  _ one  _ thing, but it hardly matters. He’s not here.”

The Doctor looked at Annabeth and Percy, but it seemed neither of them had caught what the dolphin had said.

He was forced to sit there helplessly, bound and silent.

More dolphin warriors climbed the stairs, hauling the other demigods. Jason was unconscious – and judging by the new bruises on his face, he’d put up a fight– as was Leo. Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot. Piper had a gag in her mouth as well – it appeared the dolphins had discovered she could charmspeak. Frank was the only one missing, although two of the dolphins had bee stings covering their faces. With any luck, Frank was in bee-form, free aboard the ship.

Piper and Hazel caught the Doctor’s eyes and stared in horror. They didn’t seem to like their chances with the Doctor out of commission.

“Excellent!” Chrysaor gloated. He directed his warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows and Leo in a pile of rope. He then examined the girls greedily.

“The boys are no use to me,” Chrysaor said. “But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women – either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Annabeth.”

Annabeth visibly recoiled. “You are  _ not  _ taking me anywhere.”

Percy’s hand was crept into his pocket. Riptide must be back. The Doctor caught Percy’s eye and grinned through the gag.

He began to shout as loud as he could, nodding to the two bound girls who did the same.

Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone directly through Chrysaor’s neck, but the golden warrior was inhumanly fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives whilst giving their captain room to battle.

Percy’s swordplay was…rusty. The two battled back and forth, thrusting and parrying.

Percy feinted and thrust at Chrysaor’s gut, but Chrysaor anticipated the move and knocked Percy’s sword back into the sea.

Chrysaor laughed easily, not even winded. He pressed the tip of his golden blade against Percy’s sternum.

“A good try,” He said. “But now you’ll be chained and transported to Gaea’s minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess.”


	18. Gaea's Warning

This was…not good. The Doctor watched, unable to move or speak as Percy looked around helplessly. Then, there was a glint in Percy’s eyes. The tingling of an idea.

“Fine!” Percy shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “Take us away, if our captain will let you.”

Chrysaor turned his golden mask. “What captain? My men searched the ship. There is no one else.”  
Percy raised his hands dramatically. “The god appears only when he wishes. But he is our leader. He runs our camp for demigods. Doesn’t he, Annabeth?”

Annabeth was quick. “Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically. “Mr. D! The great Dionysus!”

Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Who else would turn the crew into dolphins?

A ripple of unease passed through said dolphins. One dropped his sword.

“Stand fast!” Chrysaor bellowed. “There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you.”

“They should be scared!” Percy looked at the crew with sympathy. “Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn’t you notice our crewmates falling into the wine god’s madness?”

The Doctor, Piper, and Hazel took the cue and began screaming again.

The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

“Fakes!” Chrysaor roared. “Shut up, Percy Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge.”

“So you admit Dionysus is our director!” Percy said.

“He  _ was, _ ” Chrysaor corrected. “Everyone knows that.”

Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he’d just betrayed himself. “You see? We’re doomed. If you don’t believe me, let’s check the ice chest!”

Percy stormed over to the magical cooler. No one attempted to stop him. He knocked open the lid and rummaged through the ice. Finally, he brandished a silver and red can at the dolphin warriors.

“Behold!” Percy shouted. “The god’s chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!”

The dolphin men began to panic. They were on the edge of retreat. If Percy could just do this for a little longer…

“The god will take your ship,” Percy warned. “He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!”

“Ridiculous!” Chrysaor’s voice turned shrill. He didn’t seem quite sure where to level his sword – at Percy or his own crew.

“Save yourselves!” Percy warned. “It is too late for us!”

Then, he gasped and pointed to a collection of stacked crates. “Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!”

Nothing happened.

“I  _ said, _ ” Percy repeated, “Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!”

Frank stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. “Oh, no,” He said as if reading from a script. “I am turning into a crazy dolphin.”

He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.

That was the last straw for the dolphin warriors. They disbanded in terror, dropping their weapons, forgetting their captives, ignoring Chrysaor’s orders, and jumping overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Piper, Coach Hedge, and the Doctor.

Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. The  _ Argo II  _ crew had no weapons aside from Annabeth’s knife – which wasn’t a problem in the Doctor’s books – but the murderous looks on their faces evidently convinced the golden warrior that he was doomed. He backed to the edge of the rail.

“This isn’t over, Jackson,” Chrysaor growled. “I will have my revenge –”

His words were cut short by Frank, who had changed form once again. A sixty stone grizzly bear side-swept Chrysaor and raked his golden mask off his helmet. Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with his arms and tumbling into the water.

The Doctor ran to the rail. Chrysaor had disappeared.

“Percy, that was brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

It was then that he was roughly backhanded by Annabeth.

_ “What was that for?” _

“You are  _ such  _ an idiot.” She said, though there wasn’t much venom in it. It was more…relief? “Why would you think he would let us go in exchange for you?”

“It was our only bartering chip.”

Annabeth just shook her head. “When will you get it through that  _ thick  _ head of yours that you can’t just sacrifice yourself every time we’re in a tight spot. Your Hamartia is being self-sacrificing. It’s called a  _ fatal  _ flaw for a reason.”

“Hey guys,” Percy called tentatively, “We should probably get rid of this pirate trireme.”

“Burn it?” Annabeth suggested.

Percy glanced at the Diet Coke in his hand. “No. I’ve got another idea.”

It took them a while. Much longer than the Doctor would have preferred. He kept waiting for Chrysaor and his crew to return, but they didn’t.

Leo got back to his feet, thanks to a little nectar. Piper tended to Jason’s wounds, but he wasn’t as badly injured as he looked. Mostly he just seemed ashamed that he had been overpowered again.

They returned all their own supplies to their proper places and tidied up from the invasion whilst Coach Hedge had the time of his life on the enemy ship, breaking everything he could find with his baseball bat.

They loaded the enemy’s weapons back on the pirate ship. The storeroom was full of treasure, but the Doctor insisted they touch none of it.

“I can sense about six million dollars’ worth of gold aboard,” Hazel reported. “Plus diamonds, rubies –”

“Six m-million?” Frank stammered. “Canadian dollars or American?”

“Leave it.” The Doctor said.

“It’s part of the tribute.” Percy explained.

“Tribute?” Hazel asked.

“Oh.” Piper nodded. “Kansas.”

Jason grinned. He too had been there when they’d met the wine god. “Crazy. But I like it.”

Finally, Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. He asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull. The crew of the  _ Argo II _ assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper brought out the horn of plenty and willed it to spew Diet Coke, which doused the enemy deck, assisting the ship in its descent beneath the waves.

“Dionysus,” Percy called, holding up Chrysaor’s golden mask. “Or Bacchus – whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren’t here. Your enemies trembled at your name…or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you.” He looked sour, like the words were difficult to get out. “We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it.”

“Six million in gold,” Leo muttered. “He’d  _ better  _ like it.”

“Shh,” Hazel scolded. “Precious metal isn’t all that great. Believe me.”

Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even gffaster, brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme’s oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.”

Percy summoned a wave, and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo steered the  _ Argo II  _ away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.

“Isn’t that polluting?” Piper asked.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Jason said. “If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish.”

“We shouldn’t stay on the water.” Annabeth said.

“However we get there, we need to get going.” Percy said. “We don’t have much time.”

Percy’s dream found the Doctor on the front porch of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared on the side of Half-Blood Hill – her massive features formed from the shadows on the grassy slopes. Her lips didn’t move, but her voice echoed across the valley.

“ _ So this is your home,”  _ Gaea murmured. “ _ Take a last look, Percy Jackson. You should have returned here. At least then you could have died with your comrades when the Romans invade. Now your blood will be spilled far from home, on the ancient stones, and I will rise.” _

The ground shook. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Thalia’s pine tree burst into flames. Disruption rolled across the valley – grass turning to sand, forest crumbling to dust. The river and canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half-Blood was demolished, a wasteland. The only thing left was the porch where Percy and the Doctor stood.

Beside them, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman with closed eyes. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white, looking like sunlight shifting through the branches. Her hair was black as tilled soil and her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips, she appeared cold and distant.

“When I reclaim the earth,” Gaea said, “I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. It doesn’t matter  _ when  _ you fall, my sweet little pawn – to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You  _ will  _ fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now…Will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love. Otherwise…”

Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth itself. She saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose her power was near unstoppable.

The Doctor saw Percy begin to crumble to dust – blowing away like sand in the wind.

“Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn,” Gaea purred.

A metallic  _ CLANG-CLANG-CLANG _ jolted the Doctor and Percy from the dream.

“What –”

“The landing gear.” The Doctor said.

“Oh.”

There was a knock on the door and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face had faded and his blue eyes glittered with excitement.

“Hey, man – mans…” He looked suspiciously at the two as if he believed they were doing something nefarious. “We’re descending over Rome. You really should see this.”

The sky was a brilliant blue as if the stormy weather had never even happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled. The city spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged without order through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to evacuation sites.

In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets. Everywhere they looked there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a mad collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees. 

“We’re setting down in that park,” Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. “Let’s hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something.”

It seemed the Mist was on their side, as no cars veered off the road, nor did Romans point at the sky and scream. The  _ Argo II  _ set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted.

The noise of traffic surrounded them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped towards a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some odd-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up ten or twelve meters, then sprouted into puffed canopies.

To their right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers. To the north, about a kilometer away, through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops.

“You’ve been here before, right Doctor?” Annabeth asked. “Any clue where we are exactly?”

The Doctor hummed and nodded in affirmation. “Right over there’s the Tomb of Scipios. And there –”

“Scipio?” Percy asked. “Reyna’s pegasus?”

“No,” Annabeth answered for him. “They were a noble Roman family.” She took a deep breath. “Wow, this place is amazing.”

Jason nodded. “I’ve studied maps of Rome before. I’ve always wanted to come here, but…”

Nobody bothered to finish the sentence.

“Right,” The Doctor said, breaking the silence. “Nico’s got ‘till sundown –”

_ “And  _ the entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today.” Frank added.

“Annabeth, did you find that spot on your bronze map?” The Doctor asked.

Annabeth’s gray eyes turned a few shades darker. “Yes,” She said carefully. “It’s on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should –”

“Take someone with you.” The Doctor finished for her. “If not me, take Percy. I know you’re not supposed to, but at the very least, he may be able to help you talk to the river god, Tiberinus.”

“I’ll go with you only as far as the Tiber.” Percy promised. “You can go on alone from there.”

Percy met Annabeth’s eyes. They had a silent conversation.

“Fine,” Annabeth muttered. “I’ll take Percy with me. Hazel, now that we’re in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico’s location?”

Hazel blinked as though coming out of a trance from watching Percy and Annabeth’s interaction. “Um…hopefully, if I get close enough. I’ll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?”

Frank beamed. “Absolutely.”

“And, uh…Leo, Doctor, it might be a good idea if you came along too.” Hazel said. “The fish-centaurs said we’d need Leo’s help for something mechanical, and the Doctor…well, he’s the Doctor.”

“Brilliant.” The Doctor grinned.

“No problem.” Leo agreed.

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. “Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I’ll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico’s location, don’t go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It’ll take all of us to fight the giants.”

No one bothered add that they’d need a god by their side as well.

“Good idea,” Percy said. “How about we plan to meet back here at…what?”

“Three this afternoon?” Jason suggested. “That’s probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Doctor glanced at Annabeth. She’d be on her own schedule. She might be back at three, or later, or never. She would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. “That’ll give me time to eat the coconuts – I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth…I don’t like you two going off on your own. Just remember:  _ behave.  _ If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over.”

Percy smiled. “We'll be back soon.” He promised. “Good luck everyone.”

“Good luck.”

Leo lowered the gangplank, and the group dispersed.


	19. A Trip to the Pantheon

The group had decided to look to Hazel to lead them to the secret passage, but she kept leading them around and around the city, getting dizzy, and doubling back.

“Sorry,” She said. “It’s just…there’s so much underground here, so many layers, it’s overwhelming. Like standing in the middle of an orchestra and trying to concentrate on a single instrument. I’m going deaf.”

As a result, they got a tour of Rome. Frank seemed all too happy to plod along behind them, but Leo was clearly getting impatient. 

The Forum was overgrown with bushes and trees. They passed churches, freestanding arches, clothing shops, and fast-food restaurants. On wider streets, the car traffic was mad. But they spent most of their time weaving through small alleys, coming across fountains and little cafés.

“I never thought I’d get to see Rome,” Hazel said. “When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war.”

“Mussolini?” Leo frowned. “Wasn’t he like BFFs with Hitler?”

Hazel stared at him in confusion. “BFFs?”

“Best friends,” The Doctor explained, “And yes, Leo, if you want to call two world leaders attempting to take over the planet together BFFs.”

“You know, I’d love to see the Trevi Fountain.” Hazel said.

“There’s a fountain on every block,” Leo grumbled.

“Or the Spanish Steps,” Hazel said.

“Why would you come to Italy to see Spanish steps?” Leo asked. “That’s like going to China for Mexican food, isn’t it?”

“You’re hopeless,” Hazel complained.

“So I’ve been told.”

Hazel turned to Frank and grabbed his hand. “Come on. I think we should go this way.”

Frank gave Leo a confused smile – as if he wasn’t quite sure whether to gloat or thank him – and cheerfully let Hazel drag him along.

Leo exchanged a look with the Doctor, and the two of them followed Hazel and Frank.

After walking for a while, Hazel stopped in front of a large structure.

“This is our best bet.” Hazel sounded more certain than she had all day. “There should be a secret passage somewhere inside.”

Tour groups milled around the steps. Guides held up coloured placards with different numbers and lectured in dozens of languages.

“The Pantheon,” The Doctor nodded approvingly. “If it’ll be anywhere, it’ll be here. Brilliant architecture. Originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods, but Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it after it burned down. One of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world.”

“How do you know that?” Hazel asked.

“I know a lot of things.”

_ “Or,”  _ Leo added, moving his eyes away from the Spanish-speaking tour group, “He eavesdropped on a tour group.”

The Doctor shrugged innocently and made his way inside.

The Doctor, Hazel, Frank, and Leo pushed their way past the tour groups and walked into the Pantheon. The interior was lovely; the marble floor was patterned with squares and circles, the main space was one massive chamber with a circular rotunda, lining the walls were all sorts of shrines, statues, and tombs, and overhead from one circular opening right at the top of the dome, a beam of sunlight slanted into the rotunda and glowed on the floor.

Hazel stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a circle. “This is amazing. In the old days, the children of Vulcan would come here in secret and consecrate demigod weapons. This is where Imperial gold was enchanted.”

“But we’re not here because of that,” Leo guessed.

“No,” Hazel said. “There's an entrance – a tunnel that will lead us toward Nico. I can sense it close by. I’m not sure where.”

Frank grunted. “If this building is two thousand years old, it makes sense there could be some kind of secret passage left over from the Roman days.”

Leo scanned the interior. He was silent for a long moment, before finally turning towards a red marble altar with a statue of the Virgin Mary on the top. “Over there.” He said.

He marched confidently over to the shrine, the Doctor right behind him. It was shaped like a hearth with an arched recess at the bottom. The mantle was inscribed with a name:  _ Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino. _

“The passage is around here,” Leo said. “This guy’s final resting place is in the way. Raphael somebody?”

“Famous painter, architect of the High Renaissance.” The Doctor said. “Brilliant painter, even more brilliant man.”

“You knew him?” Hazel asked.

The Doctor nodded. “We used to have tea on Tuesdays – love a Tuesday.”

“Got it!” Leo grinned. He had slipped around the side of the tomb, running his hands along the back of the column.

“You got it open?” Frank asked.

“No, but I got the combination for the lock.” He continued to feel around the back of the column. “The lock face itself has been ripped out – probably vandalized sometime in the last few centuries. But I should be able to control the mechanism inside, if I can…”

There was a  _ click, click, click, click, click. _

On the floor next to the wall, one section of marble time slid under another, revealing a dark square barely large enough to wiggle through.

“Romans must’ve been small.” Leo looked at Frank appraisingly. “You’ll need to change into something thinner to get through here.”

“That’s not nice!” Hazel chided.

“What? I was just saying –”

“Don’t worry about it,” Frank mumbled. “We should go get the others before we explore. That’s what Piper said.”

“They’re halfway across the city,” Leo reminded him. “Besides, uh, I’m not sure I can close this hatch again. The gears are pretty old.”

“Great,” Frank said. “How do we know it’s safe down there?”

“Right,” The Doctor said, “I’ll go in and let you know if it’s safe –”

“No way,” Hazel said, “We’re not just going to send you in alone.”

“I’ll be fine.” The Doctor promised. “I’ll be back soon, give me ten minutes.”

“Fine.” Hazel sighed. She knelt, putting her hand over the opening. “There’s nothing alive…at least not for several hundred feet. The tunnel slants down, then levels out and goes south, more or less. I don’t sense any traps…”

The Doctor nodded. “Ten minutes.” He promised again.

“Good luck.”

The light from the Pantheon only helped for so long. Even with the Doctor’s superior vision, he had difficulty seeing. He pulled out his torch and began examining the passage. It was a stone tunnel with a low ceiling that, just as Hazel had predicted, slanted down, then leveled out and went south.

He walked for a while down the corridor. There were no traps, no forks in the road. Just one straight passage.

After thirty meters or so, he found a door. He tried to Sonic it, but it wouldn’t budge. It was interesting. The entire door was coated in Imperial gold. A mechanical sphere was embedded in the center. It was constructed from five concentric rings. It was much more complex than most Roman puzzles. In fact…each inscribed with zodiac symbols and seemingly random Greek letters and numbers.

“Hi.”

The Doctor jumped, nearly slamming his head on the low ceiling.

Leo, Frank, and Hazel were standing behind him.

“Oi! It’s only been six minutes –”

“We  _ were _ waiting for you,” Leo promised, “But there were these tourists, these massive Americans, and they were –”

“Possessed,” Frank cut in, “By Eidolons.”

“They promised not to possess any of us and stay off the ship,” Hazel said, “but I guess since they were possessing other people…”

“And, well, we knew they wouldn’t be able to fit down the hole,” Leo said, “So…here we are.”

The Doctor sighed, rolled his eyes, and explained his findings with the door.

“Greek?” Leo frowned.

“Lots of Romans spoke Greek.” Hazel shrugged.

“But Leo, look at the workmanship,” The Doctor said, running his hand along the door, “Very complex, clearly Greek in design –”

“Well we know you Greeks just  _ love  _ making things complicated.” Frank snorted.

“Did you try to Sonic it?” Hazel suggested.

“Deadlock seal.” The Doctor nodded.

Frank frowned. “So how do we open it?”

“Look, here,” He gestured to the sphere. “It’s a more advanced sort of lock. You’ve got to line the symbols on the different rings in the right order and that's what opens them.”

“But what’s the right order?” Hazel asked.

“Well, the value of pi is 3.141592653589793238462643383279502 –”

Hazel cleared her throat.

“Right, but the zodiac signs…” He frowned and mumbled to himself for a few minutes.

“Oh, I’m thick.” He smacked himself in the head. “Pi would expand outwards because it’s infinite.”

He turned the rings to exhibit the first five digits of pi in reverse, starting in the center and working towards the edge. When he aligned the last ring, something inside the sphere clicked and the door swung open.

The next room was about the size of the forge of Camp Half-Blood, with bronze-topped worktables along the walls, and baskets full of ancient metalworking tools. Dozens of bronze and gold spheres sat around in various stages of disassembly. Loose gears and wiring littered the floor. Thick metal cables ran from each table towards the back of the room, where there was an enclosed loft. Stairs led up to the loft on either side. All the cables seemed to run into it. Beside the stairs on the left, a row of cubby holes was filled with leather cylinders – likely ancient scroll cases.

Flanking the doorway were two armored manikins outfitted with full suits of Roman armor, shield, and sword.

“Dude.” Leo made a b-line directly towards the manikins. “These would be  _ awesome  _ if they worked.”

Frank edged away from them. “Those things are going to come alive and attack us, aren't they?”

Leo laughed. “Not a chance. They aren’t complete.” He tapped the nearest manikin’s neck, where loose copper wires sprouted from underneath its breastplate. “Look, the head’s wiring has been disconnected. And here, at the elbow, the pulley system for this joint is out of alignment. My guess? The Romans were trying to duplicate a Greek design, but they didn’t have the skill.”

Hazel arched her eyebrows. “The Romans weren’t good enough at being  _ complex _ , I suppose.”

“Or delicate,” Frank added. “Or sophisticated.”

“Romans were brilliant,” The Doctor said, “Just technology was not one of the things they were brilliant at.”

“We’re just calling it like we see it.” Leo jiggled the manikin’s head, making it nod like it was agreeing with him. “Still…a pretty impressive try. I’ve heard legends that the Romans confiscated the writings of Archimedes, but –”

“Archimedes?” Hazel looked baffled. “Wasn’t he an ancient mathematician or something?”

Leo laughed. “He was a lot more than that. Mathematician, inventor, astronomer, physicist, engineer –”

“Baker.” The Doctor nodded. “Made brilliant biscuits.”

Hazel sighed. “How in the world…?”

“It’s all chemistry.” The Doctor said, as if that explained everything.

“He was also the most famous son of Hephaestus who ever lived.” Leo said. “I’ve read all about him – he’s a hero in Cabin Nine. He lived in one of the Greek colonies in southern Italy, back before Rome got all huge and took over. The Romans finally moved in and destroyed his city. The Roman general wanted to spare him because he was so valuable – sort of like the Einstein of the ancient world – but some stupid Roman soldier killed him.”

“There you go again,” Hazel muttered.  _ “Stupid  _ and  _ Roman  _ don’t always go together, Leo.”

“Oi, all of you.” The Doctor grumbled. “You’re all humans, and all brilliant.”

“Or idiots,” Leo grinned. “But we’re all on the same playing field.”

“How do you know all this anyway?” Frank asked, “Not you, Doctor. You and your alien weirdness…”

“You can’t be a demigod who’s into building stuff and not know about Archimedes.” Leo said. “The guy was  _ seriously  _ elite. He calculated the value of pi. He did all this math stuff we still use for engineering. He invented a hydraulic screw that could move water through pipes.”

“A hydraulic screw.” Hazel scowled. “Forgive me for not knowing about  _ that  _ awesome achievement.”

“He also built a death ray made of mirrors that could burn enemy ships,” Leo said. “Is that awesome enough for you?”

“I saw something about that on TV,” Frank admitted. “They proved it didn’t work.”

“Ah, that’s just because modern mortals don’t know how to use Celestial bronze,” Leo said.  _ “That’s  _ the key. Archimedes also invented a massive claw that could swing on a crane and pluck enemy ships out of the water.”

“Er, that one was mine, actually.” The Doctor piped up. “We were just using it on a smaller scale to mess with some of the aristocracy, but he scaled it up and repurposed it.”

Frank sighed, placing his head in his hands. “You’re totally crazy.”

“Yep.”

“Anyway,” Leo went on,” All his inventions weren’t enough. The Romans destroyed his city. Archimedes was killed. According to legends, the Roman general was a big fan of his work, so he raided Archimedes’s workshop and carted a bunch of souvenirs back to Rome. They disappeared from history, except…” Leo waved his hands at the stuff on the tables. “Here they are.”

“Metal basketballs?” Hazel asked.

Leo stared at them in disbelief. “Guys, Archimedes constructed  _ spheres. _ The Romans couldn’t figure them out. They thought they were just for telling time or following constellations, because they were covered with pictures of stars and planets. But that’s like finding a rifle and thinking it’s a walking stick.”

“Leo, the Romans were top-notch engineers,” Hazel reminded him. “They built aqueducts, roads –”

“Siege weapons,” Frank added.

“Public sanitation.” The Doctor nodded.

“Hey,” Leo complained. “Who’s side are you on?”

“Both societies had brilliant contributions.” The Doctor shrugged. “Neither is greater than the other. If you ask me, both are primitive and destructive.”

“Of course, you would say that.” Hazel grumbled.

“Look,” Leo said, “Archimedes was in a class by himself. His spheres could do all sorts of things, only nobody is sure…”

Leo’s nose burst into flames. His face turned red with embarrassment and he patted it out quickly before running to the row of cubby holes and examining the markings on the scroll cases. “Oh, gods. This is it!”

He gingerly lifted out one of the scrolls. “Guys, this is the lost book!” His hands were trembling. “Archimedes wrote this, describing his construction methods, but all the copies were lost in ancient times –”

“I’ve got one in the TARDIS.”

“– If I can translate this…”

“I can read it.”

“The secrets of Archimedes! Guys, this is bigger than Daedalus’s laptop. If there’s a Roman attack on Camp Half-Blood, these secrets could save the camp. They might even give us an edge over Gaea and the giants!”

Hazel and Frank looked at each other skeptically.

“Okay,” Hazel said. “We didn’t come here for a scroll, but I guess we can take it with us.”

“Assuming,” Frank added, “that you don’t mind sharing its secrets with us stupid uncomplicated Romans.”

“What?” Leo stared at him blankly. “No. Look, I didn’t mean to insult – Ah, nevermind. The point is this is good news!”

It was then that one of the orbs clicked and whirred. A row of spindly legs extended from its equator. The orb stood, and two bronze cables shot out of the top, hitting Hazel and Frank like Taser wires. They both crumpled to the floor. The Doctor lunged to help them, but the two armored manikins that the Doctor was aware couldn’t possibly move  _ did  _ move. They drew their swords and stepped towards Leo and the Doctor.

The one on the left turned its crooked helmet, which was shaped like a wolf’s head. Despite the fact that it had no face or mouth, a familiar hollow voice spoke from behind its visor.

_ “You cannot escape us.”  _ It said.  _ “We do not like possessing machines, but they are better than tourists. You will not leave here alive.” _


	20. Rescue Team is a Go

This was very not good. On the Doctor’s right, the suit of armor with the lion’s head helmet creaked its wiry neck and regarded Hazel and Frank, who were still lying unconscious.

_ “A male and female demigod,”  _ It said.  _ “These will do, if the others die.”  _ Its hollow face mask turned to the Doctor.

_ “We offer you a chance, Doctor. Join us and rule all.” _

“No.” The Doctor said firmly. “I’m not going to join you.”

_ “You shall be taken as well. The Mother will sway you once she awakens.” _

Another bronze cable shot out the top of the sphere and hit the Doctor directly in the right heart. An electric shock flew through him, sending him to the ground. He could feel his right heart sputter irregularly, beating uncomfortably next to his left. His vision was fading in and out, and his breathing didn’t feel quite right.

_ “We have no need for you, Leo Valdez.”  _ One of the eidolons was saying through the fog of the Doctor’s brain.

“Oh, hey!” Leo said brightly. “You always need Leo Valdez.”

_ “I have been in your mind, Leo. I helped you start the war.” _

“That was you?” Leo’s voice faltered. “You made me fire the ballista? You call that  _ helping?” _

_ “I know how you think,”  _ One of the eidolons said.  _ “I know your limits. You are small and alone. You need friends to protect you. Without them, you are unable to withstand me. I vowed not to possess you again, but I can still kill you.” _

There was an offended pause.

“First: you don’t know me.” Leo said confidently. “And second: Bye.”

Through the fog, the Doctor was able to see Leo lunge for the stairs and bound to the top. The eidolons were not nearly as fast. Leo slammed both gates of the loft shut and fused the locks shut with fire from his hands.

_ “This is foolish,”  _ One of the eidolons said, hacking at the gates with its sword.  _ “You only delay your death.” _

“Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies.” Leo said.

If only the Doctor could reach the Sonic. There was every chance he could stop the bodies, and therefore stop the eidolons.

_ “Leo Valdez!”  _ A spirit howled.  _ “Open this gate or I will kill you!” _

“A fair and generous offer!” Leo called from inside the loft. “Just let me finish this. A last request, all right?”

This must have confused the spirits, as for a moment, they stopped hacking at the bars.

Inside the loft, Leo looked to be reassembling a sphere. If the Doctor could just get in there…

He pushed himself from the ground. The eidolons didn’t even look his way. They had begun pounding on the gates again.

“Who is it?” Leo called.

_ “Valdez!”  _ One of the eidolons bellowed.

“Valdez who?”

_ “Valdez!”  _ They pounded on the gate again. The Doctor was on his knees now, rummaging the Sonic from his pocket.  _ “Our third comrade will kill your friends!” _

“Yeah, okay,” Leo called. “You got me. Just…just a sec.”

_ “No more seconds!”  _ They shouted.  _ “Open this gate now, or they will die!” _

Just as the Doctor got to his feet, the Taser ball lashed out with its tendrils and sent another shock through the Doctor’s body. He was sent crashing back to the ground and could feel his right heart stutter to a stop.

This was not good.

_ “If your friends do not matter to you, perhaps you need more incentive. Perhaps I should destroy these scrolls instead – priceless works by Archimedes!” _

The Doctor could feel something. A power that was not in the room before.

One of the golden spheres in the room shuttered, then came alive. It grew a tripod of legs and clattered over to the Taser ball. A tiny circular saw popped out of the golden sphere’s head and it began cutting into the Taser ball’s brain.

Another orb activated. This one burst into a small mushroom cloud of bronze dust and smoke.

_ “What are you doing?”  _ The eidolons demanded.  _ “Stop your foolishness and surrender!” _

“Oh, yes, I surrender!” Leo said. “I’m totally surrendering!”

Another orb activated, then smoked and burst.

The fourth went better. A ruby-encrusted orb popped its top and helicopter blades unfolded. It spun into the air and sailed straight for the cubby holes. Thin golden arms extended from its middle and snapped up these precious scroll cases.

_ “Enough!”  _ The eidolons yelled.  _ “I will destroy the –” _

He turned in time to see the ruby sphere take off with the scrolls. It zipped across the room and hovered in the far corner.

_ “What?”  _ The closest eidolon cried. _ “Kill the prisoners!” _

He must have been speaking to the Taser ball, but said ball was in no shape to comply. Leo’s golden sphere was sitting atop its sawed-open head, picking through its gears and wires.

Hazel and Frank began to stir. Everyone was still alive, then. Brilliant.

_ “Bah!”  _ The nearest eidolon gestured to the farther one.  _ “Come! We will destroy the demigods ourselves.” _

“Good luck with that!” The Doctor was grinning, his Sonic in his fingers.

The high-pitched whine reverberated around the room, causing both the spheres and the eidolons’ vessels to collapse to the ground, smoking and immoble.

The room was silent. The Doctor was clutching his chest.

“You’re alive!” Leo burst out from the loft, running to Hazel, Frank, and the Doctor.

As he approached, he noticed the pallor of the Doctor. “Doctor? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, jus’ my heart, ‘s all.” The Doctor forced out through gritted teeth.

“What – what’s wrong with –”

“The right one’s not working.”

“The – the right…?”

“I’ve got two hearts,” The Doctor explained. “And the right one’s been stopped.”

“Do you…Do you need both of them?”

The Doctor stared at Leo in disbelief.

“No, I just have it in there for fun.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious, or…Okay, sarcasm it is.” Leo looked uncomfortably from the Doctor to Hazel and Frank, who were both just waking up.

“Do you want me to, like, do CPR on you, or…”

“Just hit me on the chest.”

“What?”

“The chest. Hit me. Right side.”

“Uh…” Leo lightly tapped the Doctor’s chest with his fist.

“Harder. I’ve got to get my heart restarted.”

“What – what’s happening?” Hazel asked, looking bewildered.

“Oh, you two are up. Brilliant. Frank, punch me in the chest.”

“Uh…okay?”

Frank slammed his fist into the Doctor’s chest.

His heart started up.

“Oh, Frank, that was brilliant.” The Doctor grinned. “On the back, now. Same side.”

Frank hit him again.

The Doctor grinned, jumping up and spinning around dramatically. “Brilliant. Frank, I could kiss you.”

“Please don’t.”

“So now that you’re…not dying,” Hazel said. “Care to tell us what actually happened?”

“Archimedes came through!” Leo said. “Just enough power left in those old machines for one final show. Once I had the access code, it was easy.”

“What about the eidolons?” Frank asked. “Are they gone?”

“Leo grinned. “I trapped the eidolons inside the wiring, and the Doctor, well…” Leo gestured to the steaming piles of parts that now lay on the ground.

“They won’t be bothering anyone anytime soon.” The Doctor summarized.

“You saved us.” Frank said, though he was looking at the Doctor.

“We would’ve been dead if not for Leo.” The Doctor said firmly. “He saved us.”

Leo smiled slightly, looking around the workshop. “Too bad all this stuff got wrecked, but at least I salvaged the scrolls. If I can get them back to Camp Half-Blood, maybe I can learn how to recreate Archimedes’s inventions.”

Hazel rubbed the side of her head. “But I don’t understand. Where is Nico? That tunnel was supposed to lead us to Nico.”

Something glinted in the corner of the Doctor’s eye. “Hazel,” He said slowly, “How were you tracking Nico exactly?”

She frowned, looking a little unsure. “Sometimes I can tell when he’s close because he’s my brother, but Rome is so confusing, so much interference because of all the tunnels and caves –”

“You tracked him with your metal-finding senses.” The Doctor said. “You tracked his sword.”  
She blinked. “How did you know?”

“Because it’s right here.”

The Doctor walked across the room and picked up Nico’s sword.

“Oh. Oh, no.” Hazel probably would’ve collapsed had Frank not caught her. “But that’s impossible! Nico’s sword was with him in the bronze jar. Percy  _ saw  _ it in his dream!  _ You  _ saw it!”

“Either the dream was tampered with, or the sword’s been moved here as a decoy.” The Doctor said. “This is a trap.”

“But  _ why?”  _ Hazel cried. “Where’s my brother?”

A hissing sound filled the room. A bronze mirror perched on a worktable was steaming.

_ “Ah, my poor demigods.”  _ The sleeping face of Gaea appeared in the mirror. As usual, she spoke without moving her mouth.  _ “You had your choice. I offered salvation to all of you. You could have turned back. Now it is too late. You’ve come to the ancient lands where I am strongest – where I will wake.” _

Leo pulled a hammer from his tool belt and slammed it into the mirror. Being metal, it just quivered, but Leo looked satisfied.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Dirt Face,” He said. “Your little ambush failed. Your three eidolons got melted in bronze, and we’re fine.”

Gaea laughed softly.  _ “Oh, my sweet Leo. You three have been separated from your friends. That was the whole point.” _

The workshop door slammed shut. The Doctor tried to Sonic it.

“Deadlocked.” He reported.

_ “You are trapped in my embrace,”  _ Gaea said.  _ “Meanwhile, Annabeth Chase faces her death alone, terrified, and crippled, at the hands of her mother’s greatest enemy.” _

The image in the mirror changed. Annabeth was sprawled on the floor of a dark cavern, holding up her bronze knife as if warding something off. Her face was gaunt and her leg was wrapped in some sort of splint. The Doctor couldn’t see what she was looking at, but it was obviously something horrible.

_ “The others,”  _ Gaea said,  _ “Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and my dear friend Percy Jackson – they will perish within minutes.” _

The scene changed again. Percy was holding Riptide, leading Jason and Piper down a spiral staircase into the darkness.

_ “Their powers will betray them,”  _ Gaea said.  _ “They will die in their own elements. I almost hoped they would survive. They would have made a better sacrifice. But alas, Hazel and Frank, you will have to do. My minions will collect you shortly and bring you to the ancient place. Your blood will awaken me at last. Until then, I will allow you to watch your friends perish. Please…enjoy this last glimpse of your failed quest.” _

Leo’s hands were glowing white hot. He pressed his palm against the mirror and it melted into a puddle of bronze goo.

The voice of Gaea fell silent. Leo took a shaky breath.

“Sorry,” He said. “She was getting annoying.”

“We’ve got to get to the others.” The Doctor said.

Leo scanned the workshop, now littered with smoking pieces of broken spheres.

“I’ve got an idea,” He said. “But it’s going to take all four of us.”

Leo’s plan was brilliant. Properly brilliant.

He and the Doctor activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device, and Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface, making a tunnel just big enough for a weasel. Frank, in weasel form, climbed up with a simple transmitter the Doctor had thrown together, and sent out a distress signal to Coach Hedge.

Once they’d been picked up by the  _ Argo II, _ they set off to find Percy, Jason, and Piper, which wasn’t hard, since the Colosseum was lit up like a Christmas tree.

As they descended upon the Colosseum, the Doctor could see the floor was supported by new-looking beams. The bleachers gleamed white and were filled with thousands of shimmering purple Lares of Rome. On the floor were massive props – mountains of plaster, stone columns, life-sized plastic barnyard animals. The emperor’s box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. Inside, Lord Bacchus was watching the floor eagerly in purple robes and golden laurels. To his left sat a disheveled and gaunt, but otherwise okay Nico, and Piper, an injured shoulder being tended to by a nymph in a nurse’s uniform. To Bacchus’s right, a satyr was crouched, offering up crisps and grapes to the Diet Pepsi-drinking god.

A little further away, there was a lake where a half-formed Otis was trying to reassemble himself. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor, and in the center stood Percy and Jason, facing down Ephialtes.

Leo loaded the ballista and waited for the Doctor’s signal.

Finally, Percy’s form glanced up to where the  _ Argo II  _ waited.

“Now!” The Doctor shouted.

Leo fired.

Jason and Percy rolled away just as Ephialtes turned and bellowed in disbelief.

An explosion rocked the Colosseum.

The  _ Argo II  _ went in for the landing. Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor. Percy emerged from a trench just as Jason poked his head out from behind a plastic horse.

Otis was still floundering in the lake, trying to re-form.

Percy staggered over to Jason and clapped him on the shoulder. The crowd of Lares gave the boys a standing ovation as the  _ Argo II  _ extended its landing gear and settled onto the arena floor. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Percy turned to the emperor’s box. “Well?” He yelled at Bacchus, “Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little –”

“No need for that.” Suddenly, the god was standing right beside Percy in the arena. He brushed Dorito dust off his purple robes. “I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat.”

“Partners?” Jason growled. “You did nothing!”

Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake. The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus.

The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down.

Bacchus smacked Otis’s head with his pinecone staff and the giant pile of mush disintegrated completely.

The crowd went mad. Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to Ephialtes, who was still lying spread-eagled, overcooked, and smoking.

Again, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.

“DO IT!” The crowd roared. 

“DON’T DO IT!” Ephialtes wailed.

Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ash.

The Lares cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. He grinned at the  _ Argo II  _ crew.  _ “That _ , my friends, is a show! And of  _ course _ I did something. I killed two giants!”

As the Doctor, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Coach Hedge disembarked from the ship, the crowd of Lares shimmered and disappeared.

Piper and Nico struggled down from the emperor’s box as the Colosseum’s magical renovations turned to mist and the arena looked once more as if it hadn’t hosted a tournament for eons.

“Well,” Bacchus said. “That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage.”

“Your  _ permission?”  _ Percy snarled.

“Yes.” Bacchus raised an eyebrow. “Although  _ your  _ voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune.”

“Poseidon,” Percy corrected automatically. “What do you mean about  _ my  _ voyage?”

“You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building,” Bacchus said. “Best place to break through. Now, goodbye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter.”

The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice. 

The Doctor ran to meet Piper and Nico.

“Doctor!” Nico grinned weekly. He could barely even lift his head and his voice was so soft that even with the Doctor’s superior hearing, he could barely hear him.

“You ‘right, then?” The Doctor asked as he looped an arm under the boy’s right side and assisted Piper in carrying him down.

Nico grinned, “Better than ever.”

“Okay,” Percy said, once they’d all regrouped. “Where’s Annabeth.”

“Right, Annabeth’s in trouble,” The Doctor said, “Gaea showed us a vision of her. I think she’s hurt – her leg may be broken. We need to find her.”

“Why didn’t you find her first?” Percy demanded.

“Admittedly, you were easier.” Leo said. “With the godly light show at the Colosseum.”

“Tell me about the vision,” Percy said. “Tell me everything.”

The floor beneath them shook and the wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of hypogeum below.

“Let’s talk on board,” Hazel suggested. “We’d better take off while we still can.”

They sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome.

All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic had come to a complete standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, most likely wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins. As far as the Doctor could tell, none of the giants’ plans had succeeded. The city looked exactly as it had before.

The demigods and the Doctor all gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper’s sprained shoulder whilst Hazel sat at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia. Frank, Leo, and the Doctor recounted what had happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres and the visions Gaea had shown them in the bronze mirror to Percy. They quickly decided that their best lead for finding Annabeth was the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: The Emmanuel Building.

The Doctor went to check on Piper.

“How’s the shoulder?”

Piper smiled. “It’ll heal. How’s the heart?”

“What?”

“Leo told me what happened.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Happens.”

“They stopped your heart!”

“I had a backup.” The Doctor shrugged.

“You’re going to get yourself killed one of these days.”

The Doctor grinned. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“Hey, guys!” Hazel called. “You should really hear this.”

She helped Nico to his feet. He’d always been pale, but now his skin was the colour of powdered milk. His eyes were dark and sunken in, and he looked like he was about to pass out.

“Thank you,” Nico rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group. “I’d given up hope.”

“You knew about the camps all along.” Percy said. “You could have told the Doctor and me who we were the first day we arrived at Camp Jupiter, but you didn’t.”

Nico slumped against the helm. “Look, I’m sorry. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, though I wasn’t sure why. He told me the gods had kept the camps seperate for centuries and that I couldn’t tell anyone. The time wasn’t right. But he said it would be important for me to know…” He doubled over in a coughing fit.

Hazel held his shoulders until he could stand again.

“I – I thought Dad meant because of Hazel,” Nico continued. “I’d need a safe place to take her. But now…I think he wanted me to know about both camps so I’d understand how important your quest was, and so I’d search for the Doors of Death.”

“And the doors,” The Doctor asked, “Did you find them?”

Nico nodded. “I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked right into Gaea’s trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole.”

“Um…” Frank chewed his lip. “What kind of black hole are you talking about?”

Nico started to speak, but whatever he needed to say must have been too terrifying. He turned to Hazel.

She put her hand on her brother’s arm. “Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides – one in the mortal world, one in the Underworld. The  _ mortal  _ side of the portal is in Ancient Greece. It’s heavily guarded by Gaea’s forces. That’s where they brought Nico back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome.”

“Where exactly in Greece is this doorway?” Piper asked nervously.

Nico took a rattling breath. “The House of Hades. It’s an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but – but the mortal side of the portal isn’t the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are in…in…”

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment. The black hole. The part of the Underworld where even Nico couldn’t go.

“It’s in Tartarus.”

Nico nodded. “They pulled me into the pit, Doctor. The things I saw down there…” His voice broke.  
Hazel pursed her lips. “No mortal has ever been to Tartarus,” she said. “At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It’s the maximum security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It’s where all monsters go when they die on the earth. It’s…well, no one knows exactly what it’s like.”

No one except Nico. Even the Doctor had never gone down there.

Hazel handed him his black sword, and the boy leaned on it like a cane. “Now I understand why Hades hasn’t been able to close the doors,” He said. “Even the gods don’t go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn’t go near that place.”

Leo glanced over from the wheel. “So let me guess. We’ll have to go there.”

Nico shook his head. “It’s impossible. I’m the son of Hades and even I barely survived. Gaea’s forces overwhelmed me instantly. They’re so powerful down there…no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane.”

“But I’m not a demigod.” The Doctor murmured. “I could go down there.”

“Doctor, you can’t do that,” Nico pleaded.

“Can’t we just close it on the mortal side?” Percy asked.

“I wish it were that easy,” Nico said, shaking his head. “The doors would have to be controlled on both sides to be closed. It’s like a double seal. Maybe, just maybe, all eight of you working together could defeat Gaea’s forces on the mortal side, at the House of Hades. But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory –”

“There has to be a way.” Jason said.

“There is.” The Doctor insisted. “I can go down. I’m hundreds of years old. If anyone can survive down there, it’s me.”

The ship began to descend towards a massive building below.

“We’ll deal with this later.” The Doctor decided. “Right now, Annabeth needs us.”

Leo nodded. “Bacchus said something about the parking lot in the back? Well, there it is. What now?”

“We have to get her out.” Percy said.

“But how?” Leo asked.

The Doctor frowned as he examined the parking lot. “Bacchus said we needed to ‘break through,’ right?”

Percy grinned. “Doctor, you’re a genius.” He turned to Coach Hedge. “Coach, do you still have ammo for those ballistae?”

The satyr grinned madly. “I thought you’d never ask.”


	21. The Pit to Tartarus

“Annabeth!” Percy cried into the collapsed earth as he leaned over the railing of the  _ Argo II _ .

“Here!” The faint voice of Annabeth sobbed.

Annabeth was standing, edging her way towards the gaping hole. Her rucksack was gone and her clothing was in tatters, but she was grinning brighter than the Doctor had ever seen her before.

Percy was the first off the ship. He ran into Annabeth’s arms. She sobbed into his shoulder.

“It’s okay.” The Doctor could hear Percy promise. “We're together.”

The rest of the crew gathered around.

“Your leg.” Piper knelt beside her friend. “Oh, Annabeth, what  _ happened?” _

Annabeth explained how she’d fallen running away from an avalanche she’d created to escape from a brotherhood, hired by Arachne to destroy any child of Athena who passed. She then explained how she’d met Arachne and tricked her into weaving Chinese handcuffs (or as she put them, Chinese spider-cuffs) and trapped her inside. But just as Arachne was about to escape with the help of her children, the  _ Argo II  _ had broken through the ceiling and sent Arachne falling far below, presumably into Tartarus.

“Oh, gods of Olympus,” Jason said. “You did all that alone. With a broken ankle.”

“Well… _ some  _ of it with a broken ankle.”

Percy grinned. “You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera – Annabeth, you  _ did  _ it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found that Athena Parthenos!”

“You were brilliant, Annabeth.” The Doctor grinned, admiring the statue. “Absolutely brilliant.”

“What do we do with her?” Frank asked, staring at the Parthenos. “She’s huge.”

“We’ll have to take her with us to Greece,” Annabeth said. “The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants.”

_ “‘The giants’ bane stands gold and pale,’”  _ The Doctor mused.  _ “‘Won with pain from a woven jail.’”  _ He looked at Annabeth proudly. “It was Arachne’s jail. You tricked her into weaving it.”

“With a  _ lot  _ of pain.” Annabeth muttered.

Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos as though taking measurements. “Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something.”

“What about you guys?” Annabeth asked. “What happened with the giants?”

Percy explained rescuing Nico. Apparently the giants were all-too happy to release Nico, for all he did was sleep all day and ‘what sort of spectacle is that?’ He then described his fight in the Colosseum. Nico didn’t say much, so the Doctor took over, explaining what Nico had discovered about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides.

“You lot just have to close it on the mortal side in Epirus,” The Doctor said. “I’ll go to Tartarus and close it on the other side.”

_ “What?”  _ Annabeth stared at him in disbelief. “You have  _ got  _ to be kidding me if you think for a single second we are going to send you down  _ there. Alone  _ no less –”

The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne’s support cables made of silk, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.

“Secure it!” Annabeth cried.

The crew understood immediately.

“Zhang!” Leo cried. “Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone!”

Frank transformed into a massive eagle, and the two of them soared towards the ship.

Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to the rest of them. “Back for you guys in a sec.” He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

“This floor won’t last!” Hazel warned. “The rest of us should get to the ladder.”

Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider’s silk support cables trembled and began to snap. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint. The Doctor ran to help him.

Just as Nico reached the ladder, the Doctor heard Annabeth gasp out in pain.

“What is it?” Percy asked.

She tried to stagger towards the ladder, but fell to the ground.

“Her ankle!” Hazel shouted from the ladder. “Cut it! Cut it!”

Wrapped around her ankle was the spider silk. Something inside the pit was pulling her in.

“Annabeth!” The Doctor tried to run over there, but before he could even take the first step, Annabeth hit the edge of the pit, her legs going over the side.

“No!” Percy’s hand was clutched around Annabeth’s. As she slipped over the edge, so did Percy.

The Doctor ran towards the ledge. They were five meters down.

“Percy, let me go,” Annabeth cracked. “You can’t pull me up.”

“Never,” Percy said. He looked up at the Doctor. “The other side, Doctor! We’ll see you there. Understand?”

The Doctor’s eyes widened in realization.

“No!”

Percy let go. He and Annabeth fell, locked in an embrace, into the endless darkness.

“Doctor!” Hazel had finally made it to his side. “Doctor, we have to get out of here!”

“No! I have to follow them! I have to protect them! I –”

“Doctor, it’s too late. Please, we can’t lose you too!”

The Doctor lunged for the pit, but Hazel grabbed his arm and swung him around. Before he could do anything, the butt of Hazel’s cavalry sword slammed into the side of his head, and the world went black.

When the Doctor opened his eyes next, the  _ Argo II  _ was parked on a hill overlooking the city. The Athena Parthenos had been loaded up into the hold. The Doctor stood at the rail, staring down at the city below. He could feel Leo’s presence approach behind him.

“It’s my fault.” He murmured. “I should’ve saved them.”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

“I should be the one in Tartarus.” The Doctor insisted. “They won’t –” He cut himself off.

“They’ll make it.” Piper said. The Doctor hadn’t realized the others had been listening.

“Percy’s the most powerful demigod I’ve ever met.” Nico agreed. “And with Annabeth by his side.”

“They’re unstoppable.” Jason said.

“I hope so.”

There was a long mournful pause.

“Annabeth and Percy are going to try to make it to the Doors of Death.” The Doctor said. “If we can make it to the mortal side, could we seal the doors and get them back safely?”

“Maybe.” Nico said.

That was not particularly encouraging.

Nico took a deep breath. “I don’t know how they’ll manage it, but Percy and Annabeth will find a way. They’ll journey through Tartarus and find the Doors of Death. When they do, we have to be ready.”

“It won’t be easy,” Hazel said. “Gaea will throw everything she’s got at us to keep us from reaching Epirus.”

“What else is new?” Jason sighed.

Piper nodded. “We’ve got no choice. We have to seal the Doors of Death before we can stop the giants from raising Gaea. Otherwise her armies will never die. And we’ve got to hurry. The Romans are in New York. Soon, they’ll be marching on Camp Half-Blood.”

“We’ve got one month at best,” Jason added. “Ephialtes said Gaea would awaken in exactly one month.”

Leo straightened. “We can do it.”

Everyone stared at him.

“The Archimedes sphere can upgrade the ship,” He said. “I’m going to study those ancient scrolls. There's got to be all kinds of new weapons I can make.”

“Can’t the Doctor read those?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, but what are the chances he’s going to tell me how to build the weapons?”

“None.” The Doctor nodded.

“Exactly.” Leo said. “We’re going to hit Gaea’s armies with a whole new arsenal of hurt.”

At the prow of the ship, Festus creaked his jaw and blue fire defiantly.

Jason managed a smile. He clapped Leo on the shoulder. “Sounds like a plan, Admiral. You want to set the course?”

“Yeah.” Leo said, taking one last look at the cityscape of Rome. “Festus, raise the sails. We’ve got some friends to save.”


End file.
